STARDERP TENDENCY
by Jonathan Wolf
Summary: In which Aqua end up banished as a Pillar (Wo)Man, Kazuma end up reincarnated as the third JoJo, Darkness being a Hamon user, and Megumin is now the little sister of Yoshikage Kira. A Crossover AU about Konosuba Gang's shenanigans in the JoJoverse! Hamon, Stands, And useless Pillar Woman abound!
1. Chapter 1

_In which Aqua end up banished as a Pillar (Wo)Man, Kazuma end up reincarnated as the third JoJo, Darkness being a Hamon user, and Megumin is now the little sister of Yoshikage Kira._

 _Nothing could go wrong here, right? Right? Uh... right?_

.

 _ ****** STARDERP TENDENCY *******_

 **Chapter 1 - Prologue**

"Why it always ends like this..." I opened my eyes as being awakened in a familiar room yet again. Oh well, died again, but this time the threat of Demon King should've ended as myself and Darkness sacrificed ourselves to ensure that the Demon King finally dies and...

"That was ~aaah... maaa... zinnnngggggg~ Kazuma!" said Darkness as she rolled her body at my side. Well, that was expected, an explosion that should destroy the Demon King will also harm Darkness, and since Eris is her friend, letting her be revived again should be easy, that was my intent all along, even as I present this to Darkness as a way to get a heroic sacrifice and nudging her masochism to the ultimate limit.

I look at the chess-patterned floor, and how Goddess Eris was seated in front of us with her hands covering her mouth. Wait, why was she shocked to see us anyway, Chris should already know about the plan to sacrifice myself and Darkness as I already informed her in advance, yes?

But as I look across the room, I spotted another two bodies in a tangled heap just across.

Oh shit! How could this be! Megumin was never supposed to die in the first place! Let alone the only source of our resurrection, Aqua! Did the boosted explosion end up literally being the megaton powered nuclear explosion, of all things?

"AQUA YOU IDIOT! YOU SAID THE PLATFORM WAS A SAFE ONE!" screamed Megumin as she rises from the tangled heap that is Aqua's hair.

"Now with Aqua herself dead, how could we resurrect ourselves!?" I screamed in panic while Aqua slowly opened her eyes.

"Eh, what? How we... why do I feel..." said Aqua weakly.

"Ano, I am sorry Aqua-senpai, but you and Megumin-san have plummeted to your deaths when the aftershock of the explosion blow you away from where you two were standing," said Eris while scratching her right cheek.

"How could we get revived now?!" cried Megumin. "Aqua is dead, and so does us!"

"Is... is that you, Goddess Eris?" said Darkness who immediately forgot why she died at the first place and start prostrating in front of her Goddess. "I die happy to be able to see you My Goddess!"

"Total Party Kill," I muttered under my breath as looking at how pathetic it was to suddenly end up with everyone in the party dead when the supposed number of deaths was only two.

"ERIS-SAMA! REVIVE MEEE!" said Aqua while bawling and shook the lithe body of Goddess Eris all the way from her shoulders.

...

"I am sorry but there is no way you could be revived again, Aqua-senpai for resurrection requires another one who knows resurrection to cast them on my realm," said Goddess Eris with an awkward smile while Aqua basically keeps shaking her.

Suddenly a beam of light was seen coming from the top down, and I could see a young man with long hair, thin beard, and looks that remind me of someone that I can't really recall, descending from the light.

"Drunk at work, misusing your powers, sowing and creating chaos in another realm..." said the newcomer who looks unamusingly towards Aqua, which somehow ends up immediately release her grip from Eris and hiding behind my back, I could feel the useless Goddess shook herself in fear.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi!" I immediately recognize the newcomer, sure, the thorny crown under his cowl and robes are a bit off-putting, but I do recognize his face from Star Wars.

"Uh..." said the newcomer while sporting a friendly grin. "No my child, it is I..."

"Jack Sparrow! But why are you dressed like that?"

"..." aside of Darkness and Megumin, who just sit confused on the floor, for somewhat reasons, the two Goddesses here face faulted to the ground.

"You didn't recognize me?" said the man while pointing his own face towards my own face, all while Aqua immediately jump and hide behind Darkness.

"Wait a minute, you face did seem familiar... but... You are Eddard Stark!" I tried to guess some more, but the man just shook his head while moving closer.

"See the holes? These are where nails were inserted to fix me on the Cross at the Calvary." said the man while offering his wrists in front of my face.

"You must be a masochist! Like Darkness!" I said in surprise.

"That must be the ~beeest~ thing ~eeever~!" Darkness' face turned red in pleasure, imagining all the pains this new guy must be going through, and I could see the new guy slap his hand across his face while blood pouring from under his thorny crown.

"I am Jesus Christ." said the man and something immediately clicked on my head as I prostrated myself. How in the seven hell that the Christian God suddenly turned up at this moment. "Relax Satou Kazuma, you do nothing wrong as you were never a Christian at the first place."

"But they're Goddesses, and you... you..."

"Celestial Bureaucracy my child, a lot of Gods exist in the universe. Just relax, misidentifying a God is never an offense at the first place, and everyone does tell me that I look like Ewan McGregor, Johnny Deep, and even Sean Bean."

"Sumimasen! Sumimasen! Sumimasen! Sumimasen! Sumimasen! Sumimasen!"

"Anyway my child, Satou Kazuma, as your quest has ended, will you choose to go to heaven, or do you want to be reincarnated?" said Jesus with a calming smile on his face.

I look toward Megumin and Darkness, and especially toward Megumin, as I realize if I were to be reincarnated, this could be my final goodbye to them.

"What about them? Jesus-sama?" I mentioned to my two human companions which I already grow attached to.

"Ah, Lalatina Ford Dustiness and Megumin... Of course, they would be given similar choices."

"You are a God right?" said Darkness while having his faces turned red. "May we discuss things about how to get your wounds? I ~waaant~ them..."

"Uh... no... Just... why not you three discuss your choices first and took your time?" said Jesus with a smile.

I immediately move toward Darkness and Megumin, and now we look toward how Aqua was pulled out from her hiding places by two angels.

"Aqua, daughter of the Drowned God Ktholo and Storm Goddess Ran; Goddess of Water, Healing, Arts, Party Tricks, Drunkenness, Debt..." said Jesus solemnly, and we could only snickers as those three last titles were truly Aqua's domains.

"Jesus-sama... no... But I have defeated the Demon King..." cried Aqua while flailing helplessly as the angles hold her in place.

"You broke many of the important laws of Celestial Bureaucracy, it is only right and just that you lose your position as a Goddess and become a fallen one."

"But Jesus-sama! I do the same thing that Wukong does, and why am I the one who got punished!" Aqua cried.

"Buddha bailed Wukong, Buddha always bailed your on and off again boyfriend Wukong, and guarantee for his behavior, don't you ever learn? I understand that your mother has died and your father already demoted from Godhood as well following on his sheer mismanagement of the Ironborn, so he currently stays as a Demon King in Planetos, so..." said Jesus with a sad smile.

"Tell my auntie Lucoa the Quetzalcoatl! She will guarantee for my bail!"

"Your aunt has fallen from the Godhood after getting drunk and causing an extreme ruckus in heaven..." said Jesus calmly.

"Tell my uncle God of The Greens!"

"He is currently sealed at the Land beyond the Wall and waiting to be replaced with a crippled boy. He can't leave his place right now, not that the Celestial Bureaucracy wants to touch Planetos ever again until the current ruckus ended."

"Tell my little brother Aizen-chan that his onee-chan needs his help!"

"I am sorry but Aizen already fell and his memories of being God of Illusion and Manipulation are currently being wiped out, he cannot help you because the Soul King still keeps an eye upon him."

"Tell my great-great-grandfather Nurgle..."

"Still busy fighting against the Heaven-damned anathema with Khorne, Tzeentch, and Slaanesh while trying to salvage as many sentient beings as they could from the grip of the Heaven-damned imperium of the anathema; The Celestial Bureaucracy told them to just destroy the universe they currently reside on so that the threat of anathema could be finally eradicated before he gained powers to take the multiverse."

"I do not want to become a fallen Goddess!" cried Aqua.

"But you already are," said Jesus calmly while gesturing his hand to make a portal.

"No! I don't want it! Nooo! Forgive me Jesus-sama!"

"You shall be reborn and repent your for sins as a pillar of stone. You shall be stripped of most of your powers, for this is your penance," said Jesus before the angels toss her inside the portal.

Man, I do feel bad for Aqua... but who am I to stand against the judgment of the Gods?

Goodbye then, Aqua... I can't believe that I already started to miss you... you're a useless Goddess, but you are our useless Goddess...

...

I looked at my side and I could see both Megumin and Darkness being unusually silent, it seems that they too understand the gravity of the situation.

"Stand, my children," said Jesus as smile returns to his face. "Now, you all could choose to go to heaven or being reincarnated."

"Jesus-sama, if we reincarnated, can we meet again?" I said the obvious question.

"What about my family?" said both Megumin and Darkness in unison. Oh well, this is the real goodbye then.

Jesus just smiled and conjured a screen in front of us.

"Lalatina Ford Dustiness, in light of your sacrifice, while your death is definitely a tragedy for your family, the Gods decides to cure both your father and your cousin Sylphina of their illness. Your father end up adopting Sylphina to be his heir, and he still has long years to live, we guarantee you," said Jesus before adding up. "With the defeat of the Demon King, Princess Iris will at least have a sense of closure, Eris will go there as Chris and explain everything to her..." said Jesus while showing what will happen on the screen.

"Eh... Jesus-sama... but... that was my..." said Goddess Eris while scratching her cheek.

"Do not worry Eris, while you do break the laws of the Celestial Bureaucracy, you are doing so to help protect your people. We are not being unreasonable," said Jesus with a smile. "And even I myself enjoy spending time incognito as humans, so..."

"And... my..." stuttered Megumin.

"And Megumin, do not worry about your family and friends, while your death is definitely a tragedy for them, they would be fine. Yunyun already took care of Komekko in your absence, and your parents will deem her as their own daughter. And your cat has been taken care by Wiz... uh... and that's basically it." said Jesus but now his face turned more awkward as after we moved from the heart-tugging scene of Megumin's family, we could see Chomusuke turned big, breathing fire and ransacking a town, while being chased off by Wiz and Vanir on screen. And in the background, we see a giant chicken rampaging as well.

"Uh... Jesus-sama."

"Eris, you need to go there fast! This is an order!"

"Hai, Jesus-sama," said Eris before opening another portal and jumping inside before the portal vanished.

"Who in their right mind let Wolbach run amok like this?" said Jesus while scratching his head, and I could sense that Megumin hides behind my back this time.

"So... uh, do you want us to return to our world?" said Darkness. "It's not too late, right?"

"Nope, you will either choose heaven or being reincarnated, that was just a sealed evil Goddess of Violence and Sloth run amok, Eris will take care of her without having her power suppressed anyway," said Jesus with a smile. "So?"

I looked at Megumin and Darkness before we nod to each other.

"We want to be reincarnated in Japan," I said while keeping myself calm.

"I want to go there together with Kazuma!" said Megumin.

"I guess I'll just tag along then," said Darkness.

"Hmmm... I see," said Jesus with a smile while pointing toward the portal. "You all just need to jump in and you will found yourself reincarnated on Earth again, well to be specific, Japan for both Kazuma and Megumin."

"Hey what about me?" cried Darkness.

"I guarantee you will meet them," said Jesus with a wink.

"Alright, what are we waiting for?" I said while looking toward the portal. "Finally, back to Japan, although not as my old self I presume?"

"As the reward for defeating the Demon King, you will keep your memories here..." said Jesus with a smile.

"Sweet!" I said while trying to jump, but Darkness ends up plunging there first.

"Hey, that's..." I tried to regain my balance, but I wobbled up and also plunged into the portal.

"Wait up for me!" said Megumin while jumping not far behind me.

"JAPAN! HERE I COME!"

But I swear I could hear Jesus said something like "WAIT!"

...

 **Tokyo, Japan, 1 April 1986**

"Jojo, make sure you do not forget anything for your first day at the Highschool!" said my mother while she's putting the last karage inside by obento. Gods, I really missed being a Japanese student again!

"Sure mom!" I answered as I wear my new dark green gakuran on top of my shirt.

Oh well, this school uniform is one of the old design, but I can't help when I somehow end up reincarnated BACKWARD in time, so that I am currently 15 years old Japanese student, being born at 22 January 1971 to my parents, Sadao and Seiko Kujo.

My father here, Sadao Kujo, is a well-renowned Jazz musician, he often goes on tours around the World, only coming back at home once every two months or so. But when he was here, he is a nice man, if rather silent and only speaks openly with my mother. Not that I complained as he is definitely better than my previous father, who should be around my age right now if this is still the same earth I know and love.

My mother here, Seiko Kujo, is a nice housewife with a cheery demeanor and long blonde hair. Oh well, she is actually an American before applying for citizenship change, and her maiden name was one of Holly Joestar before she met and fall in love with my father. She comes from a rich New York Tycoon family, the Joestar family that I didn't seem to recall back then when I still live in 2016 earth.

I have met my grandparents, Joseph 'Jiji' and Suzie Q Joestar only twice when I was just a little boy, and should be three times when I was just a baby. My mother keeps in touch with her parents via telephone and sometimes mail, but it seems that they are often being busy and unable to come here for the last three years. Apparently, my grandfather is one of the richest men in the world, and he controls not only the Joestar Organization real estate company, but also Speedwagon Foundation who controls a significant portion of both oil industry and some more 'esoteric' pursue in America, something which tells me that this earth is not the same earth I used to live on, but no matter, with Jesus, mentioned multiverse exists, I can't help but realize that there are multiple realms out there and such.

I actually seen my great-grandmother, Lisa Lisa, far more often than my grandparents, and believe it or not, she actually seems healthier and younger than my grandmother, even as last year when I see her, she was already freaking ninety-seven years old but still looks as she is in her early fifties. She was apparently an archeologist and kung-fu master or something, as she practices some sort of martial arts named Hamon. She tried to teach me about it by offering that I would go to America to learn it together with my aunt Lala back when I was still in elementary school, but that kind of boring breathing exercises and strict training mentioned by great-grandmother was just not my style, and I refuse. My great-grandmother then laments that my grandfather should've never neglected his training, as she currently effectively only have one heir willing to continue the arts of Hamon.

Yeah, I do have an aunt, born just four years before me, when my grandmother should be already past childbearing age, but then my great-grandmother joked about how my grandfather apparently always had an outrageous amount of luck. She only visited Japan once, and that's back when I was still a baby, so I effectively never met her at all. My great-grandmother and my mother used to call her Lala, so I guess her name would be Lala Joestar or something like standard gaijin name.

Great-grandmother often in routinely visits Japan, Korea, and Northern China for some reasons. Always told us that she tried to look upon something that is called as the Fifth Pillar Man, written in some sort of ancient tablets and scrolls, and deemed as the most dangerous Pillar Man by the ancient Hamon practitioners.

She often told me stories about the younger days of my grandfather Joseph, on how he single-handedly saved the world from the threat of the Pillar Men, and how my grandfather lost his left hand at the last battle when he sent the leader of the Pillar Men into space, forever away from the earth.

Yes, I still remember how Jiji joked about his left-hand being cut or missing, only to reveal that it's the 'clicky-clicky' prosthetic hand, which was made before the start of the Second World War. Apparently some part of technology here already more advanced than my original earth, but maybe that's just prosthetics and robotics, as I didn't see any affordable personal computer and there is no internet yet, so I can't just hunker down in my room and become a NEET once again.

And yeah, last time I tried to just sleep away and reading comics for days inside my room, great-grandmother comes at the second week and throw me out of the room with her surprising strength. She proceeds to whip my ass with her scarf, which could impossibly become as stiff as a rod and painful when it hits. Sometimes I do hate having a strict magical Kungfu master as my great-grandmother. Thankfully, she is currently in America and didn't plan to go to Japan until next year or so.

"Finished already Jojo?" said my mother while bringing me the obento as well as my brand-new shoes.

"Yes, mom!" I smiled as my mother raised her hand to put the new hat on top of my head.

And myself? Well, for some weird reasons, my name here is Jozuma Kujo (XX XXX), as in up-hand-horse Kanji before the standard Kujo family name. Maybe this is just how the reincarnation functions as I still maintain my memories about my latest adventures, but apparently not my magic and skills.

Not that I was too bothered by that, being a schoolboy again is already great, and having a rich family even better.

As I tidy up my brown hair under the hat, I can't notice to see my mother smiled.

"You're just like your grandfather when he was younger." said my mother.

"Thanks, mom!" I smiled while looking at myself in a mirror. Oh well, apparently I scored big upon the genetic lottery, being already 185 cm tall and having very defined musculature despite I spent most of the time lazing around. I have brown hair and green eyes, which apparently is the same coloration of my grandfather back then when he's still young, but now with my face being partially inherited from my father instead of my grandfather's western one. Instead of arranging my hair like the old photos of my grandfather, I decided to put them in the familiar shaggy hairstyle I used to have before the reincarnation, for the old time's sake if anything, as I do feel both Megumin and Darkness should still easily recognize me with this style, even as I become taller and more muscular.

"Be careful!" said my mother as I walked out of my house and toward the school.

Oh, Gods, I love to be Japanese again!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Creepy Big Brother & Mysterious Demon Boy**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 1 April 1986**

My school is rather close to my house, it's only one and a half kilometers and there is no need to commute.

I saw the school, so I walked into it and feels the wash of my old memories regarding the dreaded school in another lifetime. As I passed through the gatehouse, I looked at some of my soon-to-be schoolmates being dropped by cars, presumably by their parents.

One car piqued my interests though, a white 1984 model Toyota Corolla with a faint, yet clear sounds of music being played from the inside.

.

 _She's a killer ~Queen~_

 _Gunpowder, gelatin_

 _Dynamite with a laser beam_

 _Guaranteed to blow your mind_

 _~Anytime~_

.

"Bye-bye onii-sama!" said a black haired girl who emerges from the inside of the car, and I could see a formally dressed, blonde haired young man in his early twenties, perhaps still a student, tousled the younger girl's hair with a faint smile on his face.

"Be careful, Megumi-chan."

"Hai, onii-sama."

There is no mistaking it, the girl with black hair, and her crimson right eye with the left covered by a medical eyepatch. Smooth black hair that reaches the shoulder, distinctively longer in the front than at the back. Her delicate features like a porcelain doll, and her custom-made black-and-red sailor fuku.

Thank Gods for their divine providence!

"MEGUMIN!" I shouted as I run outside the gatehouse, and she looks at me as soon as I shout her name.

"K... K... Kazuma? Is that you?" said the one girl who could only be Megumin while looking up towards my face as I tidied up my hat with my left hand and put my right hand on my waist. Must be a cool enough pose to greet her in this new world.

"It has been years!" I said while I took out my hat and put it inside my gakuran's coat pocket, while Megumin runs towards me.

"Why are you soo big now?" said Megumin while she hugs my waist and looking up towards my face. I noticed that Megumin's head is only as high as my chest, even as she visibly stands on her toes, and can't help but imagine that if our previous height difference is bad, this time I positively tower over her and makes her even seems more like a loli due to all the height and muscle mass difference.

"Years?" said the blonde haired young man, who suddenly already stands in front of us. "Megumi-chan, who is this big boy, and why I never knew about him at the first place."

Well, this young man is actually shorter and leaner compared than me now, still with firm musculature underneath his light purple suit and striped green shirt underneath. He is only 175 cm tall compared to my 185 cm, but he exudes a very intimidating aura around him, I can't help but unconsciously backpedaled a little when he closes in, which is enough to force Megumin to release her hug.

"Onii-sama! This is my friend from another world! The world where I was an arch-wizard who controls the magic of explosion!" said Megumin while she bent her right hand pointing above, her left hand down with a metal sign, and she leaned slightly towards her back, which made her flat chest seems flatter.

"Hoo?" said the young man who only cocked his head slightly to the side, his cold blue eyes stared deep into my eyes, unnerved me further as a long strand of blonde hair blowing in the wind at the side of his face. He then folds his hands in front of his chest and leaned slightly backward. "But where do you meet him at the first place? Judging of you said that this boy has grown bigger now, I presume you two must've been met when you were at the elementary school or even younger."

"We've met in another world! His name is..." said Megumin, but before she could create more misunderstanding, I offer my hand to the young man.

"Kujo, Kujo Jozuma," I said with the most polite smile I could muster, while the young man accepts my handshake, and he gripped my hand in a very firm, confident manner.

"My name is Kira Yoshikage, twenty years old literature student at Daito Bunka University. I presume you already knew my little sister Megumi?"

"Of course onii-sama, we knew each other really well in another world, he is the one who often carries me on his back after I cast the magic of EXPLOSION!" said Megumin while posing herself as if she carried her magic staff, thankfully it seems that she lost her magic as well. "We even live in the same mansion and..."

I soon found that Megumin's big brother quickly grab the collar of my gakuran, forcing me to pull my head down as he whispered close to my ear.

"If you dare to do anything untoward, my little sister, I'll kill you," said Megumin's brother with an icy tone.

"Hai... Kira-san."

"If you dare to make my little sister sad, I'll kill you."

"Hai... Kira-san."

"If you dare to take advantage of my little sister's innocence, I'll kill you."

"Hai... Kira-san."

"I have no objection if you were my sister's boyfriend in another world, or so like she often told me about, but if you dare to break her heart, I'll kill you."

"Hai..."

"Call me Yoshikage, it seems that you already on the first name basis with my sister, and almost everyone calls both of us using Kira-san anyway."

"Hai... Yoshikage-san." I said weakly as Yoshikage-san released his grip from my collar. It really feels unnerving to be intimidated by a man that was actually rather smaller than me.

"Onii-sama, Ka... Jozuma might be rather lecherous, but all we have done at most is just bathing and sleeping together..."

Yoshikage-san gripped my collar again as soon as Megumin mentioned those things. Well, shit...

"My sister does have an overly active imagination for her age, but if you dare take advantage of her, I'll slice your neck wide open and hang you by your entrails like a worthless dog, before cutting off your father's head and splay open your mother's back, Jozuma-kun," said Yoshikage-san while his other hand slowly caress his finger at my throat.

Alright, it seems that Megumin's stories have gone too far, and the anger of her big brother is rather understandable because of that.

"Megumin, stop it! That was before our reincarnation dammit."

"Reincarnation?" said Yoshikage-san while releasing his grip from my collar, and the topmost of my button falls off to the ground due to how strong his grip is.

"Yes, Yoshikage-san, we died in another world and reincarnated here... she was my..."

"Megumi-chan already told me about your 'adventuring party' in another world of some sort, Jozuma-kun," said Yoshikage-san with surprising calmness. "If that was the truth, your name would be Satou Kazuma instead of Kujo Jozuma, am I right?"

I could only nod my head furiously at that.

"Tell me the name of the other two, Jozuma-kun."

"Aqua and Darkness."

"And you died as you defeat..."

"The Demon King."

"Ah, then it was the truth, Jozuma-kun," said Yoshikage-san while his faint smile returns to his face again. "We live at Morioh-cho, our mother has passed away three years ago, and our father currently works overseas at the Cairo branch of Asahi Heavy Industries. Our family is very close, however, and while I prefer for Megumi-chan to continue her education at local high school at Morioh-cho, but being an honor student, she accepted the offer to continue her education here."

Wait, Megumin is an honor student now, oh well, not that it surprises me, considering her intelligence.

"She is only fourteen years old, and I expect you to not taking advantage of her youth, Jozuma-kun." Yoshikage-san continues his creepy-sounding and unsolicited rant. "If you dare to anything toward her without her consent, I'll castrate you first and leave nothing there, before left you to die a slow death as you slowly going paler and paler as you lose your blood, Jozuma-kun."

"Hai... Yoshikage-san." I bow deep toward him while wincing, imagining the pain on my crotch, and as I bow, Yoshikage-san nods in acknowledgment. Apparently, this guy is having some sort of chuuni syndrome as well, but instead of being bombastic like Megumin, his style is downright creepy and sadistic as his mannerism actually made my hair stand on end.

"Onii-sama, the school would start soon, why are you..."

"Just making sure that this boy would not attempt anything untoward with you, Megumi-chan," said Yoshikage-san while tousling Megumin's head once again. "I'll pick you up here after school, don't go anywhere without my express permission first, take care."

...

And it seems that we are indeed live a cliche life, Megumin turned out to be my own classmate, and I honestly very happy with this kind of arrangement, maybe I should go visit a church next Sunday to give thanks to Jesus-sama for putting Megumin really close with me.

I know some students in my class who previously attends my middle school too, especially the boys, but I know next to nothing about the others. Most seem to be good acquaintances, at least but one thing bothers me the most...

That boy who looks at me with stink eye out of nowhere when I tried to take a desk behind Megumin's desk, and apparently we tried to claim the same desk.

"I am sorry! I got here first!" I said in a calm tone as I put my backpack on the seat.

The pink haired boy with ridiculously large, twisting bang hanging before his face end up shoving my backpack to the ground before ignoring me and sit upon what should be my desk.

"You are not one of the honor students, and this row should be reserved for honor student only." said the pink haired boy as he speaks with me condescendingly. "And last time I checked, Kujo Jozuma belongs to the lowest quarter of the grades here."

"Hey, watch for your words, pinkie," I said while shoving him out of the chair with my larger body.

Said pink haired boy only smiles as I put my bag back down at the seat, but then something screams in my mind as if my 'detect enemy' skills suddenly got activated.

I could see a very transparent blur of something long and green heading towards my back, and I ducked at the last moment out of my adventuring reflex.

And my eyes bulged in horror as that long transparent thing continue its way towards Megumin, who seem to be unaware, and she ends up smacked away from her seat by the almost invisible long green thing.

"Megumin!" I shouted as I reflexively dive to check if she were alright. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!"

The pink haired boy seems to be stunned when he realizes that whatever thing he tried to pull upon me being dodged and end up hitting the wrong target.

"WHO HITS ME!" said Megumin in anger as she raised herself, and I just point out toward the pink haired boy, whose face turned pale at whatever magic trick he possessed being seen.

"You could see my Hierophant Green?" said the pink haired boy in shock, and before he could do anything, Megumin raised her chair and tried to smash that chair on top of that annoying pink haired brat's head.

Only for that chair to be stopped midair by a very transparent, green-ish humanoid being with arms and long, snake-like body under the torso.

"You could use telekinesis!?" said Megumin in disbelief, and apparently she couldn't see that thing.

"Wait, does that mean this big dumb oaf is the one who could actually see my..." said the pinkie, but I have nothing to do with his shit and decide to just deck him out with my right punch.

Said transparent green humanoid thing blocked my punch, but then Megumin swing her chairs again and this time she hit the pinkie boy squarely in his head, breaking the chair and causing everyone else in the class to look towards us.

"This pinkie punched me first!" screamed Megumin, and I could see that every boy in the room looks at him in anger. While I am being the advocate of gender equality, nothing ignites the righteous anger on most men's eyes like seeing a helpless girl being bullied by a boy.

"Look, I am sorry, I meant to hit this big dumb oaf!" said the pinkie boy, but his words will be the one who damned him, as every boy in the class end up surrounding him, and I could see the transparent green humanoid thing just stand in place as if in shock.

"Shame on you for picking on a small girl such as Kira-san, Kakyoin." accuses one of the boys while pointing his finger in front of the pinkie's face.

"If you want a fight, pick someone your own size!" said another boy while he... passed through the transparent green humanoid that stood at the pinkie's side? Is that meaning that transparent thing is a guardian ghost or something that apparently nobody else could see? Maybe this is what is left of my 'detect enemy' skill?

"I... I intended to fight this big dumb oaf here!" said the pinkie while pointing his finger towards my face.

"And you will use your green ghost like a coward again." I casually mentioned his power as everyone looks at us in confusion.

"Green ghost?" said the murmurs amongst the boys, and even Megumin raised her eyebrows.

"Ka... Jozuma what are you talking about?" questioned Megumin.

"This pinkie have magical green ghost standing at his side! And he hits you with that thing!" I said while pointing toward the magical green ghost thing.

"Kujo-san, what are you saying about?" questioned another boy, who apparently cannot see the green ghost thing, and as the crowd dispersed a bit so the green ghost didn't have anyone underneath.

"What am I saying is about this!" I cocked my right fist and tried to punch this annoying green ghost.

I missed the thing entirely and stumbled.

"Why can't I touch that ghost thing dammit!" I said to no one in particular.

"Ghost?" said one of the boys.

"GHOST!" screamed another boy, and before we could realize anything, everyone in the class saves for myself and that annoying pinkie already running out of the classroom. Megumin included in the runaway group of course.

"Damn you Jozuma!" said the pinkie while raising his hand and my danger sense screaming again. "Emerald Splash!"

I barely dodged the incoming transparent projectile, and behind me, the desks end up being wrecked by whatever thing this pinkie tried to pull against me.

"Kujo-san was right! Kakyoin is an accursed demon boy!" said a boy who witnessed on how the desks suddenly being wrecked, and before long, everyone starts to jeer toward the pinkie.

"DEMON! DEMON! DEMON! DEMON! DEMON! DEMON!" chants the entire class.

"Yeah, get out of here! Pink Demon! Nobody likes you anyway so scram away!" I added as one of the teachers suddenly entered this classroom.

"Alright class, first day in school and already a fight?" said the teacher in unamused tone.

"Kujo-san do nothing wrong, Kakyoin struck Kira-san first and wrecked the desks!" said one of the girl while Megumin already in her best drama mode, as she suddenly cries while nursing her head.

"That demon boy strike Kira-san first teach! Kujo-san only helps Kira-san against that demon boy!" said yet another boy.

"Kakyoin Noriaki, to the teachers' office! NOW!" said the teacher while dragging the annoying pinkie by his ear. "Everyone get back in the class and wait for your homeroom teacher to come."

I could only smile mockingly as Kakyoin being helplessly pulled towards the office. That's what you got when trying to bring a ghost in a fist fight!

...

"You could look at ghosts?!" said one of the boy in awe as I eat my obento surrounded by most of the boys.

"That Kakyoin was a friendless loner back at our middle school, some boys said that they feel as if something invisible hits them when Kakyoin picked a fight with them, turned out that he is indeed a demon!" said another boy who seems to be the pinkie's schoolmate back in middle school.

"Jojo, you are soo cool!" said a girl who tried to get near with me, but as I could see Megumin stares at me, I could only try to look away from her and towards the boys.

"Hey, calm down, I just want to make sure that bully pinkie to not hurt anyone else. Unmasking his insidious ghost-like being is just my duty." I tried to downplay my actions as I didn't want all the attention directed towards me.

"No worry about that Kujo-san. You are our brave hero now, that demon boy would never dare to go against you again." said another boy and everyone laughs around me.

Oh well, apparently I just made the correct first impression. Being thought as a brave guy who stood up against a 'Demon boy' is something that would actually improve my reputation, after all.

...

That pinkie demon boy returned late to class, and immediately, he ended up picking the only desk left, that is the furthest back corner, far away from other students as everyone else pulls their desk away from that ghost using jerk.

That should teach him a lesson.

...

Anyway, the class finally ended on today, and I walked with Megumin toward the gate.

"Your brother will pick you up here right?"

"It won't be long, usually onii-sama is a very punctual person," said Megumin with a smile.

And that was real, for only in five minutes or so, the white corolla come and Yoshikage-san's face coming out of the window, and the song played rather loudly.

.

 _To avoid ~complications~_

 _She never kept the same address_

 _In conversation_

 _She spoke just like a ~baroness~_

.

"Megumi-chan, do you want to play at Jozuma-kun's house?" said Yoshikage-san with a slight smile. I notice that he already changed his suit to a white one from his previous light purple.

"Eh, of course, onii-sama, but why?" chirped Megumin happily.

"I have a sudden meeting with my lecturers in half an hour or so, and won't be at home until night, so may I have your address to pick my sister later at night, Jozuma-kun?" said Yoshikage-san politely while offering me a small notebook and a pen.

"Hai, Yoshikage-san." I immediately accepted the notebook and pen and write my home address for Yoshikage-san to pick his sister later.

"Is your parents at home, Jozuma-kun?" questioned Yoshikage-san while looking deep inside my eyes.

"Yes, my mother is currently at home, so we won't be alone..."

"Make sure your mother knows Megumi-chan is at your house, understood? I do not want anything untoward happens to Megumi-chan, or I'll kill you," said Yoshikage-san with an unnerving smile on his face, and I could only bow at his very reasonable request.

"Hai... Yoshikage-san."

"Good, I will double check with your mother later, so don't even attempt to lie about that, understood."

"Hai... Yoshikage-san."

"Take care, Megumi-chan," said Yoshikage-san while waving his hand toward his little sister, who waved her hand in return.

Well, just my luck acting up again now I hope Megumin would not do anything like end up suddenly manifesting her explosion magic and blasting up my home. But yeah, we do need to catch up with this reincarnation business, and maybe introducing her to my mother.

Megumin's family seems to be a rather nice, if overprotective one.

As I look toward Yoshikage-san's speeding car, I can't help but catch a glimpse about the large plastic bags he put on the back seat. Looks like he just returned from a grocery run or something, must be hard running an errand for a household and taking care of his sister at such a young age.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Mom, there's a pillar inside the Pond**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 1 April 1986**

"I can't believe you told your brother everything Megumin, what if he turned out to be some sensational freak who told everyone else about your story? Imagine that you will be swamped with scientists, cultists, and odd mangaka or two all asking questions about the afterlife and such!" I said as we walk together towards my house.

"Do not worry about it Kazuma, onii-sama is a very smart and yet very kind man. He only wants a quiet life, so he will never, ever, told my story to anyone else in this regard. Onii-sama is the only one who never laughs at me or thinks of myself as a weirdo when I talk about magic and how I was an Arch-Wizard in my previous life." said Megumin softly.

"Weirdo? Oh come on, you should already know that magic is deemed as fantasy kinds of stuff here and you still talked about that openly?"

"I know Kazuma... Everyone in my elementary school mocked me as a weirdo for saying such things out loud, but onii-sama always willing to listen to me and told me, I am not a weirdo," Megumin closed her eyes and sighed as she continues her story. "Onii-sama told me to never say anything about it when I enter the middle school, so I could have a peaceful, quiet life. He told me that I could always tell my stories to him and he will always try to listen."

"I understand Yoshikage-san must be quite an emphatic man who turns out to be always willing to lend a hand to his family and friends then. But what are you saying about me to your brother anyway?"

"I told onii-sama about the boy who I loved in another world, someone who always complains about every little thing, but chooses to help everyone as much as he can. Someone who isn't straightforward, but understandable as truly kind at heart. Someone who is not righteous, who will do bad things when no one is looking, yet always loyal and reliable when it matters in the end," said Megumin with a smile as she looks at me. "Onii-sama said that my choice of man is paradoxical, but he only smiles as he said he everyone has their own choices in life. I even told him that we will know each other once we met, and he just does just that without too much question, right?"

"But why is your brother threatening to sadistically murder me like that when we never ever met before?"

"Oh, I also naturally told onii-sama that said boy is also the biggest pervert whose hobby is to steal panties from girls when they're still being worn, touching girls inappropriately and shamelessly admits that he always taking advantages of them without mercy, felling up my breasts when I was exhausted, regularly visiting succubus shop..."

"YOU! YOU! YOU!" I said as I pinched Megumin's cheeks. "Then there's no wonder why Yoshikage-san wanted to sadistically kills me at the first place! You literally dragged my good name in the mud even before we even met!"

"But onii-sama asks me to tell him the truth! I just can't lie about it as he always being a very perceptive person!" muttered Megumin as she tried to pry my hands out of her cheeks. As I look around at some people who look at the minor ruckus we caused, I release my hands out of her cheeks and Megumin just rubbed off her sore cheeks in response. "Not that it matters anymore right? It seems that onii-sama already let me come to your house."

"But why are you telling him about that? You... you..."

"Because he is always willing to lend his ears to my stories, even if my parents often being too tired to hear all of that and deems my stories are just products of having an overly active imagination."

"Ah yes, your parents?" I said as Megumin looks down and cracked a slight smile.

"Our parents were close to us when we were little children. Mother died three years ago because of a stroke, and father ends up being a sad, overprotective man for sometimes after that. Father was promoted to manage the Egyptian branch of his office two years ago, while he almost declines his promotion over making sure that I would be well looked after, onii-sama assured him that he would take care of my well being. Since then, onii-sama keeps our household perfectly arranged, just like when mother was still alive."

"Wow, your brother must be really good at that, you are lucky to have a big brother like him because usually, it would be the sister's duty to do the household chores."

"I know Kazuma," said Megumin with a smile. "I offered to help him, but he always politely refuse, saying that he is the adult in the house, and no children should do what is an adult's work. He doesn't even let me wash clothes or cleaning the rooms, saying that I need to study hard for my sake, not spending my time doing household chores."

"I envy you... Your brother does spoil you." I said while Megumin smiled at me in return. "I have no siblings here, my father is a jazz musician who often tours the world, come home only once every two months. My mother is a nice housewife and definitely the best mother I had, but you know, you just can't let your mother doing everything for you, right?"

"So do I, I also wish that onii-sama would let me live my own life, for I already being an adult in our previous life," said Megumin while I stopped at the gate of my house.

"Tadaima!" I said as we arrive in front of my house, which is a traditional Japanese House that would be actually bigger compared to our mansion at Axel, let alone the city apartment I had in my 2016 self.

"Jojo, come back already?" said my mother as she opens the gate.

"Did she just call you... Jojo?" Megumin snickered as she heard my mother's overly affectionate nickname for me.

"That's just how my mother calls me dammit!"

"Jojo, who is this girl..." said mother with a smile as she points out toward Megumin.

"My name is Megumin! Arch-wizard of the Crimson Demon Clan, wielder of the mightiest magic of explosion, slayer of the Demon King, and the smartest student in school!" said Megumin while pointing her right hand to the sky while swinging her opened left hand in front of her face.

"Bravo! Bravo!" said mom as she claps her hands at Megumin's chuuni antics. Everyone else might think this as a sarcastic gesture, but not with my mother, for she is too kind-hearted to do anything but genuine praises, and it seems that her praise already goes to Megumin's head as well.

"And I am here to see up close where Jozuma..." said Megumin while her eye suddenly glitters with excitement as she looks toward the large koi pond complete with bridges in front of my house and the extensive Japanese garden around it. "Whoa, you must be rich Ka... Jozuma!"

"Oh well, my father is Sadao Kujo, a world-renowned Jazz musician, and my grandfather is Joseph Joestar..." I tried to explain but Megumin literally cuts me mid-sentence as she heard the 'Joseph Joestar' part.

"JOSEPH JOESTAR? EHHH? The owner of the Joestar Realty, one of the biggest real estate moguls in America!" said Megumin while holding her hands to her cheeks.

"But this house is actually my husband's ancestral home," said mother with a shy smile on her face. "He did belong to a branch of the Kujo noble family, further enough that his ancestors were just samurai, but as my husband's great-granduncle dies without an heir, my husband's father end up inheriting this house at the first place."

"What a coincidence too, my ancestors belong to a samurai lineage with my family name being Kira, but they were ruined during my grandfather's time, according to my father," said Megumin while she fidgets her long strands of hair. "My father worked hard to provides for us, and he ends up working overseas after my mother's death three years ago."

"Oh, poor Megumin-chan, you must miss your mother soo much, you could call me auntie Seiko if you want," said mother while hugging and patting Megumin's head. Well yeah, Megumin seems to still get another end of the genetic lottery, being noticeably short even considering her age, as my mother still towers over her. "Anyway Jojo, is she your girlfriend?"

Ouch, damn you, mom! Am I that easy to read or you just assuming Megumin is my girlfriend by sheer luck?

"Errrm... how to say it, am I allowed to say about that to your mother?" whispered Megumin while her cheeks turn red and look towards me. Oh well, first Yoshikage-san, and now my mother, well looks like now we live in cliche romantic drama, so...

"Uh maybe not Megumin, I never told anyone that we were reincarnated, unlike you and your brother, but..." I whispered back while my mother just standing there, smiling.

"So..."

"Of course she is my girlfriend mom!" I said as I smiled together with Megumin, how cliche and easy this turned out to be.

"So when I can expect to get a grandchild?" said my mother cheerily, and both of us face faulted to the ground.

"MOOOM!" I whined as I nurse the bruised part of my face. "We are not on that level yet! We are still freshmen in Highschool dammit!"

Yoshikage-san may end up killing me if I do anything untoward his little sister and he basically told Megumin to focus on her study anyway, so maybe after finishing high school, I would consider that, but at this point.

"Just joking Jojo, just joking..." said mother with a mirthful laugh as she gestured for us to enter the living room.

...

After spending some time chatting with my mother, who thankfully didn't fray much from the usual family talk, with Megumin claiming that she was once an Arch-Wizard who slays the Demon King, but thankfully never mentioned much about our reincarnation.

And as my mother went to do some household chores, Megumin end up looking into the Koi Pond as she sits on top of the bridge's handrail, throwing koi food. I often do the same when I was just a little boy, but once my insane growth spurt started; I just can't do the same thing because the handrail may end up bent or even broke holding my weight.

"Oi Megumin, don't throw that much koi food! It would ruin the color of the pond!" I said while Megumin keeps throwing fistful after fistful of the pellets.

"Ne Jojo... don't say that the fish should not be fat," said Megumin with a cheery smile that mimics my mother.

"Don't call me like that Megumin! I never permit anyone but my family to call me Jojo like that! That's embarrassing!"

"But we are lovers, aren't we Jojo?" said Megumin mischievously.

"And we're still sitting in high school, and if I dare to do anything untoward you, your brother will cut my neck! And that's not counting if he expects you to graduate from university first as well!" I said while looking toward the hungry fish who eagerly snaps their mouth to catch the koi food while remembering the similar scene that happened in another realm when we're at Darkness' house, where Aqua used her fish-calling skill.

"The magic academy at Crimson Demon village have fewer years, and prodigies like me could basically graduate far earlier than required. Why there's no skill up potions in this world anyway?" said Megumin as she tried to turn her position, but suddenly...

Megumin's feet slipped and she unceremoniously falls into the Koi Pond with a splash.

"Megumin!" I know that this Koi Pond could be more than two meters deep, and Megumin could actually hit on something anyway, so I throw away my gakuran and jump into the pond, helping Megumin, who coughed her way out of the pond as the fish happily feast upon the bag of pellets that also plunged together with her.

"Thank you... Kazuma... I am sorry..." said Megumin as I helped her to cling on the edge of the pool just under the bridge. Well, she is definitely too short to swim in my house's unusually deep koi pond, so...

"Accidents happens Megumin," I said with a smile, well, there is the first time for everything, and apparently Megumin is the first victim to fall into my house's koi pond for how much time already elapsed from the previous victim.

"Jojo, what happened?" said my mother as she emerges from the kitchen. "Oh, you want to go swimming together?"

"Accident mom, not that..."

"Poor Megumin-chan, I'll look if I have something that you could wear." said mother as she went back into the house, and something clicks on my head.

"Wait Megumin, will your brother end up angry if he looks at how you changed your clothes and assume..." I said while pointing out the obvious, maybe I should let my mother talk about this accident to Yoshikage-san so he would not try to kill me over trying to play some erotic games with his little sister or something.

"I'll talk to him, he is a reasonable and kindly man, he won't get angry over... what's this?" she said as if she felt something underwater with her feet, something that is hidden under the bridge. "Over here Kazuma..."

"What?" I followed her and try to feel with my foot what she meant, and I do found my foot bumped into something that could only be described as.

"Stone hand?" I was honestly surprised by the stone protrusion that, under all the moss and algae, was turned out to be really in the shape of a human hand.

I decide to dive and look for myself as I tried to clean up the moss that covered the hand-shape, and as far as I could see under the murky water, that shape was indeed a human hand.

Well, that's interesting apparently there's a statue buried inside the wall of the Koi pond at my own home, so as I helped Megumin climb out of the pond, I immediately run into the house and coming out with a long brush.

"Jojo, why are you going back to the pond? You should take a bath or you will be sick," said mother while she carried some of her clothes for Megumin to use.

"Megumin, you should take a bath first, there's a statue inside the pond!" I said as I dived back into the pond.

"Be careful Jojo!" said my mother as she led Megumin inside, presumably to the bathroom.

...

As I scrubbed the algae around what I thought as the approximate area of said statue, or carving, or whatever, I can't help but feel a sense of menacing dread all over me.

"Jojo, why are you still in there?" said mother as she and Megumin, who already take a bath and changed her clothes into a loose shirt and training trouser, looks from the edge of the bridge.

"The statue... seems familiar," I said as I cleaned up what I approximate as the hair portion, and suddenly, I recognize the big spherical hairpiece with two spheres at the sides and as I felt the face of the statue (and inadvertently groped the breasts).

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"AQUA! AQUA! OI MEGUMIN! I FOUND AQUA!"

"Aqua who?" said my mother who just looking at me curiously, while Megumin immediately went on the edge and look at the murky water which.

"Aqua? Really?!" said Megumin as if she almost want to return to plunge herself into the pond, but I gesture to her to not enter the pond.

"You already take a bath Megumin, maybe tomorrow..." I said as I remembered what happened in the afterlife before we reincarnated in this world.

~You shall be reborn and repent your for sins as a pillar of stone. You shall be stripped of most of your powers, for this is your penance.~

"Remember what Jesus said about Aqua?" I whispered to Megumin, who immediately nods her head.

"She really turned into a pillar of stone?" said Megumin curiously.

"But how to take her out of this pond..." I said while trying to pull some loose rock from the edge of Aqua's statue, but suddenly, the area under the bridge cracked and a pillar-shaped chunk of stone, that presumably contained Aqua inside, falls flat on the bottom of the pond.

"What happened Jojo?" mother said as she worried over the cracked edge of the bridge.

"Mom, there's a pillar inside the Pond!" I said as I pull myself out of the pond and into the tool shack to look for a big rope so I could haul Aqua's statue out of the pond.

If anything, this would be an ironic punishment for her to be placed as decoration in my living room, after all.

As I went down back in the pond and tied the ropes on the pillar, I went up and tried to push that thing up, but even with my improved strength, helped by Megumin and mother pulling out from the surface that surprisingly large pillar barely budges from its place. And its night already...

"Well, maybe I should wait until tomorrow," I said to them as my mother and Megumin both sit down on the edge of the pond, catching their breath as even with our best effort, we only barely moved that damn pillar.

Suddenly, we hear car horn coming from the front of the gate, and as my mother run to open the gate.

"Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Kujo, but my sister..." said Yoshikage-san politely in front of the gate.

"Onii-sama! Come here! Can you help us with pulling Aqua out of her resting place?!" shouted Megumin.

"Oi Megumin, your brother must be busy, do not..."

"Aqua?" said Yoshikage-san with curiosity after my mother let him in.

"She is inside a pillar of stone! The fallen Goddess!" shouted Megumin even as I tried to make her silent.

"Hoo?"

"Ne Jojo, what is Aqua?" my mother asked as I tried to explain to her without telling her about our reincarnation thing, but luckily, it seems that Yoshikage-san ends up helping us in this regard.

"Some mythological being my sister used to read, Mrs. Kujo," said Yoshikage-san politely. "Our family loves to read books, even obscure ones, and as literature student myself, I was rather familiar with them."

"Here onii-sama, please help Jozuma pull Aqua out of the pond!" said Megumin while giving one of the rope to Yoshikage-san, who initially look at me with skepticism, but then simply shook his head and helping us pull out the pillar out of the pond.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

"Well, thank you Yoshikage-san, seems like this was really an ancient statue buried under our pond all the time," said my mother cheerily as we finally roll out Aqua's pillar out of the koi pond. "I will order for dinner if you don't mind."

"This is no problem at all, Mrs. Kujo," said Yoshikage-san while helping me and Megumin scrubbing out the moss and algae out of Aqua's stone statue.

"Well, but once you know her personality, she would be annoying," I said nonchalantly as Megumin scrubbed clean the plants and moss from Aqua's body, revealing that Aqua only wear a pair of skimpy bikini to cover her body.

"Her hands are beautiful..." said Yoshikage-san as he looks toward the now clear Aqua's silhouette which somehow did fuse into the pillar of stone. He then caresses Aqua's right hand softly after he scrubs it clean with more soapy water. Well, must be him being either genuine artistic appreciation, or being polite with my mother and Megumin here, as I bet most men would actually either comment on how skimpy her clothes are, or grope Aqua's stone body which leaves little to the imagination.

"So what do you plan to do with Aqua's statue, Jojo?" said Megumin mischievously.

"She will look nice as living room decoration anyway," we shared a knowing smirk to each other.

...

After barely scrubbing most of algae and moss that grew on top of Aqua's stone statue, dinner comes and we end up eating together. Yoshikage-san being mostly silent, but always being polite when my mother asks him about his family.

Aqua's pillar-like stone statue is rather heavy, but with Yoshikage-san's help, we managed to actually make her stand inside the living room. Sure, further cleaning would be required before she would be presentable as proper decoration, and the koi pond will need some sort of repair over the missing chunk and crack under the bridge. But eh, whatever, my family is rich enough, so calling up workers for tomorrow would be rather easy, as mom is mostly at home anyway.

As Megumin and Yoshikage-san said their goodbyes, I can't help but wonder, when Darkness would come to us, just like what was promised in the afterlife?

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Awaken My Aqua**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 5 April 1986**

"Your brother said what?" I just can't believe what Megumin said this Saturday morning, just before the class started.

"Onii-sama said that due to the distance between the school and our house at Morioh-cho, he considers renting an apartment for me to live in, or otherwise look for affordable lodging near here," said Megumin shyly as she slowly averts her gaze. "Onii-sama mentioned that your house is rather big and roomy, so..."

Oh Gods, the cliche! THE CLICHE! I should really go to Church tomorrow and thank Jesus-sama for letting me have a dream life like this! But then I remember how SCARY Yoshikage-san was when he talks about Megumin, so...

"Seriously? Your brother let you live under the same roof with me?"

"Anyway, onii-sama does say that if anything untoward happens to me, he will immediately know who he should kill!" chuckled Megumin while my face loses all the color.

"Your brother is really scary Megumin."

"Do you plan to do something inappropriate with me, Jojo?" said Megumin with a smirk.

"Obviously... I mean NO dammit!"

Luckily for me, the school bell rings, and we are forced to end our conversation because the teacher is coming.

Well, I do look forward to living with Megumin again, but never thought that my life would be on fast-track like this! Now if only Aqua could be awakened from that stone pillar, and Darkness would come as well, the old gang would be completed.

Oh well, class ends early on Saturday anyway, so as I and Megumin waited for Yoshikage-san to pick her up outside the gate.

"Kujo Jozuma!" shouted the pinkie demon boy who picked a fight with me on the first day of school.

"Oh, hai pinkie. Do you want to bully us with your magical ghost again, like a coward you are? You are too afraid to fight one on one like a proper man anyway, so scram." I sneer at him as I see the transparent green ghost flickers at his side. Oh well, the side effect of our earlier fight is simple, this guy ends up having no friends in the class.

"You bastard!" said the pinkie while his usual green ghost actually flickered off as he kept walking toward me.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Megumin, get out of here, this will get ugly fast."

"Your girlfriend seems to have terrible taste for men." said the pinkie while scoffing at us.

"And you have no friend at all." I sneer back at him, which made his green ghost flickered in and out of existence as well before he raised his right fist and charged at me.

Ah I see, he apparently wanted an honest fight, so...

I dodged his fist, but I soon found his left knee struck at my stomach as I inadvertently lose my breath. I tried to retaliate with my fist but then I found my hand being held in the air by that damned green ghost thing.

"Heh coward, you cheated!" I said as the pinkie demon boy smirks.

"And a loser always whines when they lost!" said the pinkie demon as he pummels my face with his free hand. "I was born with this, so shut your mouth, you big dumb oaf!"

Fuck, if only I have something that could deprive him of his damned ghost. I tried to retaliate, but that damned green ghost always managed to block my attacks without breaking a sweat.

"And you will always be the loser, you big dumb oaf! I don't care if Hierophant Green will always defend me, what matters are you would always be humiliated," said that damned pinkie as his green ghost lifted me up by my neck, and he just plain out doesn't care of bystanders watching us. "I am the demon boy, and so what?"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"You... coward..." I managed to spat those words before the green ghost throw me into the trash cans with a loud crash.

Ouch, that hurt my pride...

"Kujo-san! Are you alright?" said some of our classmates as they helped me to stand.

"Why you!" shouted three boys that tried to tackle the pink demon boy from behind, but they soon found themselves struck back by said transparent green ghost.

"I don't care if I have no friend, but I demand you to respect me!" said the pink demon boy as he held my gakuran's collar and his green ghost staring at me intently as well with its robotic-like face.

Maybe this is my chance then, should be too close to do anything with that green ghost...

I managed to grab his neck and choke him with both of my hands while both he and the green ghost seems to be distracted. Of course, said green ghost end up pounding my face with its fists trying to release its master, but I just plain out ignoring the pain, as I have suffered worse when adventuring on Eris' realm anyway.

The green ghost's pounding grew weaker and weaker as I keep my hands as tight as possible on that demon boy's neck, his face turned red and then blue before said green ghost suddenly disappears.

I released some of my strength, and I casually tossed that pinkie demon boy to the sides, much to the cheer of the bystanders. But... wait, I don't end up killing him, aren't I?

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

The rising and falling on said pinkie demon's chest seems enough to sign that he should only get knocked out after I choked him with all my might.

"And that's why you should never try to pick a fight against me, you will never win, even with your green ghost thing!" I said cockily as I kick that pinkie's head before spitting on his face.

"Kazuma, your face..." said Megumin softly as she gave me some tissue, and I then realized that my face was as soft as a rotten tomato as it is painful, and as I realized it, I spat out three or four teeth out from my mouth while blood drops from my face.

Holy crap, I should have killed that bastard! My face! My handsome face is ruined forever!

And just as I think about that the white car that belongs to Yoshikage-san stops in front of me, and he looks toward me condescendingly while shaking his head.

"Get into a fight? Again? What are you, delinquent or something?" said Yoshikage-san as he opened the door for Megumin to enter.

"Onii-sama, Jozuma do nothing wrong, that pinkie attacks him first!" said Megumin.

"Hoo... playing hero then? Now look at what he got, nothing but a ruined face and dirtied clothes. That's why I always told you to get away from problems instead of fighting like a common thug Megumi-chan, it would save you from worries and will lead to a peaceful life."

I could only look down in shame over my condition, well, it seems that maybe Yoshikage-san would end up thinking letting Megumin live with me is a bad one as I would be nothing but a common thug in his eye, and will simply opt to rent an apartment for her. Maybe he will end up forbid her to ever met with me again, and he will kill me or...

"Get inside!" said Yoshikage-san as he gestured for me to enter the back seat of the car.

"Eh? But... I am dirty and my face is all bloody, Yoshikage-san, your seat cover will be stained..."

"Get inside and just rest your face on the bench seat, it could be cleaned up later anyway, I don't care if you left bloodstains there."

"Thank... thank you..."

"Get in!" said Yoshikage-san as I entered the car and rest my aching head on the seat, my blood stained the synthetic leather, and I winced as the stains seep between the upholstery but at least resting does give me some relief as Yoshikage-san started the car toward the direction of my house.

How I should repay it, such kindhearted, selfless man who is willing to dirty his car for the comfort of what is essentially a stranger like me. I just hope that mom would at least offers him some reimbursement as he must shell a significant amount of cash to clean that blood stains.

"So, because of this, I do hope that you could stay here for a while, Megumi-chan. I will pick you again at night," said Yoshikage-san while tussling Megumin's hair as usual, before he enters the car and goes to whatever his business that he stated to mom and Megumin.

Mom tried to offer him some money because I do stain his backseat upholstery rather bad with my blood, but surprisingly, Yoshikage-san actually refuse the money, citing that it was only natural for him to help me as I was in pain.

As the result, it turns out that Yoshikage-san apparently didn't mind with Megumin staying in my house, and my mother then told him that there is no need to give us money in exchange to Megumin's lodging here.

Such a good life and that's the good part, but my face is still in mess. I lost four teeth in total, all on my left side of the face, and that would be noticeable when I opened my mouth.

Mother just told me to clean those teeth and put them on the plastic so we could try putting them back at the dentist this afternoon. She does scold me a bit over how I recklessly endangered myself, but in the end, she said that she understood why I decide to stand up against that pinkie demon boy because apparently my grandfather will do the same in the face of odds likes that.

"Now if only Aqua could heal me, there would be no need to go to the dentist..." I winced to Megumin, as I caressed my broken and severely bruised face. Mother is at the telephone, apparently arranging for the visit to doctor or something, and Megumin is at my side, helping me to clean up my bloody face.

"But she's now being a stone statue, isn't she?" said Megumin while looking at Aqua's statue.

"At times like this, I just wanted for Aqua to be awakened as she then could heal me..." I winced as I swiped the bloody cloth from my face, and mindlessly put that cloth on Aqua's hand.

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"What?" said Megumin as she pointed back toward the bloody cloth that I just put upon, and we raised our eyebrows as we see firsthand that it seems Aqua's hand actually come to life as she outright absorbed the blood on the cloth.

"Wait, did that means, she needs blood to be awakened?" I said while exchanging a glance with Megumin.

"Blood?" said Megumin.

"Give me that cutter!" I said as I took a cutter that was formerly used to cut off the bandages, and well, having Aqua heals me with healing magic would be far better than long visit at the hospital anyway, so...

Well, in case of this is just an illusion, all I got would be some cut wound on my palm, and my bruised face is worse anyway, so essentially, this is nothing to lose.

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I winced as I cut my left palm deep enough for blood to come out, and before it clots, I placed my bloody left palm on Aqua's face.

"Wake up! Aqua!"

No movement at all, well maybe this is the time for cliche, cheesy line, so.

"Awaken My Aqua!"

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The plan worked without a hitch, it seems that for some reason, Aqua's face did end up absorbing my blood, and she opened her eyes after hearing my cheesy line.

 _ ***AYAYAYA* PILLAR MEN THEME STARTED *AYAYAYA***_

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I exchanged a smile with Megumin as Aqua's body coming to life and the stone pillar cracked at the same time.

I managed to withdraw my bloody left hand as Aqua literally jumped out of her stone prison, her hands raised on the front of her head while she jumped in an elegant pose with her right foot in front of her left.

"PAPA! WAM-CHAN!" cried Aqua as she has her wits back.

"Yo, long time no see, Aqua!" I said as she looks toward me and Megumin.

"MEEEGUUUMMMIIINNN!" cried Aqua while she hugs Megumin with all her might and Megumin could only grin as the idiot fallen Goddess shook herself on her.

"Well, nice to see you again Aqua," said Megumin with a smile.

"Who is this?" questioned Aqua as she looks toward us, oh well, with my 185 cm height, muscular build, and my face buried partially under bandages...

"Don't you see that I am Kazuma? Come on Aqua, I need you to heal me!"

"KAAAZUUUMAAA!" cried Aqua as she hugs me before...

"OUCH! THAT THAT!" I shrieked in horror as Aqua inadvertently absorb the part of my bloodied face INTO her face.

"Puu kusu kusu kusu, I'm sorry Kazuma, your face is bloody, and I am hungry!" said Aqua while she literally rips the flesh of my face into her own face.

"Can you heal him instead of making his face uglier?" said Megumin unamusedly.

"Oh well, you did awaken me after two thousand years with your own blood Kazuma, so I shall heal your face like new, but you must treat me with food and wine afterward! Open your bandages!" said Aqua with a smile as she opened her hand. "Anyway, do you have some water?"

"Sure..." said Megumin while giving Aqua the bowl previously used to wash my bloody face.

"Water mode!" said Aqua while she used her hand to absorb the water from the bowl before she touched my bloody, bruised face with the wet, slimy hand of hers, and I found the pain dulled as the bleeding stopped.

"Wait Aqua, my teeth!" I said as Megumin gave Aqua my lost teeth, already cleaned, and she apparently able to attach them just fine into my opened mouth. She also fixed my bloody left palm nicely with the slimes that coming out from her hands.

Well, it feels different from the usual healing magic, but whatever, I'll take anything that could heal up in an instant instead of visiting doctor.

"Well, thanks to my awesome water mode, now your face is as good as new!" said Aqua while tossing her hair to the side.

"Arigatou Aqua!" I said while touching my own face in front of the mirror held by Megumin. As expected, my face returned as good as new, and even my loose teeth end up fixed up again nicely, far better than any doctors could hope to do with current medical technology.

"Now where is my food! I am hungry!" said Aqua as she plunged herself on top of the tatami in my living room.

"I'll tell my mother to buy you some..." I smiled as I run toward my mother's room.

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"Jojo! Why your face is suddenly healed?" said my mother as she smiled to my newly healed face, and she just placed the phone back to the station, as if she just talked with someone over something.

"We awakened Aqua! Now she wanted to have some food and sake! Apparently, she was asleep in that stone for two thousand years or so, so..."

"Jojo, did that pillar-like statue awakened?" said mother with slight concern on her face.

"Yep, we awakened Aqua, who asleep inside the pillar," I said as apparently my mother just turned really, really nervous over something.

"She didn't demand anything?" apparently mom is really, really worried over something. Oh well, maybe having a statue comes to life so suddenly isn't some usual occurrences here, but whatever.

"Well? AQUA WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR DINNER?" I shouted and Aqua replies.

"STEAK AND WINE KAZUMA! STEAK AND WINE! A LOT OF THEM!" shouted Aqua from the living room.

"Uh, so... I'm sorry to ask you this mom, but you could dock the cost from my allowances this month, this is rather sudden but..."

Mother quickly dialed a restaurant to provide us with steak and wine, as Aqua ordered. But I just can't help but notice that mom suddenly have cold sweat over something, is she sick? Maybe I should just ask Aqua to heal her too.

Dinner has come, and the leftover stone slabs still litter the living room. I understood that mother quickly turns her back upon seeing Aqua, as she currently only wear that skimpy blue bikini all over her body.

"So the Gods cursed you to become... a Pillar Woman?" I asked as I bite my steak, and can't help but notices that Aqua already eat five portions of steak all on her own, all while chugging three bottles of wine but her body was still the lean one we knew, even if her musculature is somewhat far more defined now (but I don't care as I do have big muscles myself, mind you).

"Yeah, I was born ten thousand years ago. Mama was killed by Hamon clan, and Papa vows for revenge."

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"Wait... did you say... Hamon?" something clicked in my mind, as I remember that my great-grandmother, grandfather, and aunt, are all hamon practitioners.

"Yes, they are the one who hunts us down, and Papa hides me when I was still an infant because the Hamon clan kills most of my people. I sleep for three thousand years before Papa and Wam-Chan awakened me to move to China, and I lived there for some thousands of years, helping Papa, Wam-chan, and uncle Kars fighting some Hamon intruders there, and Papa decides to move me around in East Asia for the time being. Last time I awakened is when Papa told me to go to Japan and sleep there to avoid the Hamon Clan, before that, we even visited this earth's, Sun Tzu!"

"Err... does that means you have a vendetta against the Hamon clan or whatever hamon is?"

"Well yes Kazuma, last time, Papa said that once I felt I am strong enough, I should head to Rome and awake Papa, Wam-chan, and uncle Kars, so we could end the Hamon clan once and for all, and achieve the state of Ultimate Being, so we could become Gods of this planet," said Aqua as she smiled upon me. "I can't wait to have my own Axis cult here!"

"Wait, my grandfather does say..." I then realized that Aqua is the freaking fifth Pillar Man great-grandmother often said, and... it seems that my grandfather Joseph Joestar is indeed the one who killed whatever left from Aqua's family so... uh... how to break the news to her...

"Why are you sweating like that, Jojo?" said Megumin mischievously.

"Jojo?" said Aqua with curiosity.

"His name here is Kujo Jozuma, and his mother shortened it to Jojo, a cute nickname, really. I am Kira Megumi myself," explained Megumin helpfully.

"Oh well, reincarnation stuff, my name here is apparently still Aqua," said Aqua cheerily as she drank another entire bottle of wine, and her cheeks already turned red as she must be really drunk right now.

Uh... fuck... hot to break the news that my grandfather is the murderer of her 'new' family? Aqua won't take it well, I think so...

Think Jozuma... Think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - How to make useless ex-Goddess useful**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 5 April 1986**

I end up showing Aqua where my bathroom is so she could take a bath (two thousand years without taking a bath, must be rather eww especially with my Japanese sensibility). Of course, I never thought until late that Aqua will turn out to be one of the Pillar Men my great-grandmother and grandfather often told me about, but maybe...

And it clicked in my head, as long as I can convince mother to not say anything about her side of the family being Hamon users and she herself never learned anything about it, everything would be fine, it's not like anyone will deem her weird or anything because weird natural hair color exists in this world anyway, so her blue hair won't stick out.

"Oh yeah, your underwear..." I said while Aqua coming out of the bathroom still in her previous bikini.

"Silly humans, I already cleaned them up as I could evaporate all water after properly rinsing and cleaning them with my water mode!" said Aqua, with her usual stupid face as I toss her my pair of tracksuit to cover herself properly, this is 19.00 already and Yoshikage-san could show himself anytime from now.

"Oh, so your powers are still mostly the same, healing, washing clothes, toilet cleaning," said Megumin while rummaging through the stone slabs where Aqua previously hibernates inside. Apparently, she does notice something.

"Yeah, usually I was the one tasked with washing clothes when we were together, taking turns with Wam-chan over washing duties with his wind mode, which is also useful for drying clothes. Santana was useless anyway, so we left him to guard the stone masks back at Mexica."

"Won't you get cold from using only bikini for the past two thousand years?" I raised my eyebrows as Aqua slips up the tracksuit to cover her top.

"Puuu kusu kusu kusu, unlike you humans, we Pillar Men could perfectly regulate our body down to the cellular level so we never need that much coverage compared to normal humans," said Aqua as she slips the pants to cover her bottom.

"So these are not your underwear?" said Megumin while she opened a small bundle of cloth that also falls down from the stone as Aqua freed herself from her slumber.

"Yep, those are my wardrobes," said Aqua while Megumin pulls out a dark blue panty with golden rings instead of strings, encrusted in sapphire gemstones, before pulling out a matching strapless bra with golden rings and gemstones as well. From the small pile, I could see several more jeweled lingerie / swimwear / whatever those little strips of cloth and whatever could be called.

"Damn, if Yoshikage-san sees this, he may actually think I hired a stripper!" I said as Aqua's face reddened.

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"What did you just say Hiki-NEET! And who is this Yoshikage-san?" said Aqua while her face suddenly contorted with fangs showing up from her mouth and a single horn jutting up from her forehead. That doesn't intimidate either of us any bit since we've seen worse, and we honestly expect 'Fallen Goddess' to be actually closer to Demons anyway, like Wolbach.

"You dressed like a stripper Aqua, and that demon horn and fangs, are you now a succubus or something?" I raised my eyebrows as Aqua hissed in front of my face. "Anyway, Yoshikage-san is Megumin's older brother here; he is a good, kindly man deep down in his heart, even if he is very protective of Megumin, like a prim and proper big brother."

"THIS IS HOW AZTEC GODS DRESSED DAMMIT!" said Aqua while snatching her pile of wardrobes out of Megumin's hands as her face turned back to normal.

"Aztecs Gods? You are the Aztec Goddess now?" I said while remembering the history classes I was taught on this earth, who appeared rather different from what was used to be taught at my previous earth, as Aztec Empire here seems to exist for thousands of years and Romans regularly trade with American continent.

"Yep!" said Aqua as she stands up, bent her left arm around her head from the front, her right arm folder underneath, and she tilted her head slightly to the left as she leaned slightly backward. "Now, do you want to start to worship me or something? Because you could be..."

"Yeah, Goddess or not, right now you are essentially a penniless bum, right?" I said while pointing out the obvious. Sure, maybe she could sell her jewel-encrusted underwear for a fortune, but there's no need to pointing out that obvious thing to her, I think.

"Urk..." Aqua's eyes bulged as her face contorted into an uncomfortable frown.

"But Papa said that..."

"This is modern times already, you obviously NEED money to buy stuff Aqua, it's not like you could forage things on your own. It wasn't like you could simply walk and swim your way to Mexico or Roma on your own anyway." I remind her of her one weakness, for if anything, she is the Goddess of Debt and bad financial decisions.

"You were right Kazuma! And I do hate it when uncle Kars orders us to literally walk for thousands upon thousands of kilometers every night! I wish that we could simply buy a ticket for plane or something, but they don't exist yet at that time."

"Night?"

"We Pillar Men are weak to sunlight, and must either look for shelter or turn ourselves into stone to survive under the sunlight," said Aqua with a sad face. "Uncle Kars does promise us that we will eventually conquer the sun and rule over all."

Wait, she could only move around without cover at night? Oh well, just like Youkai then... wait... I KNEW THIS CLICHE WOULD COME! And Youkai could be bound into the service of a noble family in East Asia, so...

"And that means you are not only a penniless bum but also essentially a homeless Hobo-Youkai who can't even get out of shelter under the sun right? And I think you would be actually smart enough to cover all your body instead of wandering around in that skimpy bikini," I point out the obvious thing.

"But that's... that's how..." said Aqua while twitching her eyebrows.

"Anyway, you are in need of money yes? And you don't have any?" I said while Aqua quickly nods her head at the mention of money. "And you can't exactly become a construction worker if you literally can't stand under the sun anyway, so..."

"You would give me your money, right Kazuma?" said Aqua in her sweetest, gold-digging tone.

"Oh well, you do lies asleep under my house, and you could be thought as a sort of Youkai now, right?" I said while looking skeptically towards her.

"You... Youkai?" apparently Aqua's previous stint as Goddess did give her some insight upon Japanese culture.

"Fallen Goddess turned into Youkai is rather the norm, actually," I said with a sigh. "According to the ancient Japanese tradition, any Youkai who resides in a residence owned by a family must pay back the shelter by becoming said family's familiar."

"Fa... familiar?" said Aqua while twitching her eyebrows.

"Hey, that's the tradition here, and my father's family, the Kujo family, is indeed of Noble descent, so the bloodline requirements should not be a problem at the first place," I said as I puffed my chest.

"You're a noble?" said Aqua skeptically.

"And my father is none other than world-renowned Jazz Musician, Sadao Kujo. We were rich and could afford if you were to become our servant and familiar."

Well, the Kujo family do used to have some live-in servants, but since my father started his routine tour around the world, our butler Youjiro-san end up following him, while my mother dismissed our old maidservant, Nana-baa-chan last year as she was diagnosed with heart disease and need to stay in a retirement home; we still support her financially since she did feel more like old family member than a mere servant as she has served my father's family for sixty years, so.

"And Jozuma's grandfather is none other than Joseph Joestar! One of the biggest real estate moguls in America!" said Megumin happily before I close her mouth with my hands. Well, mentioning that side of my family could be BAD, considering they were Hamon users. "Mmmmpppfff! Mmmmpfff!"

"EEEH! YOU ARE RICH!" said Aqua with glee.

"Indeed Aqua, so here's my offer, becomes the Youkai servant and familiar of my family and you will be paid reasonably."

"You will pay me?" said Aqua.

"Sure, you could work here helping my mother with household chores and earn your money... or you could spend your days as a hobo out there."

"But... but..."

"Well, you can't just walk your way to Rome or swim to Mexico right? Come on, it's not like you would work here 24/7, of course, you will get your share of holidays and such free time as our maidservant. We are friends so you could count on me to help you anyway."

"That does make sense," said Aqua while scratching her head. Perfect.

"Well, so do you agree to become the Youkai servant and familiar of the Kujo family?"

"Of course! Of course! I'll gladly work for you Kaaazuuuma-sama!"

Perfect.

"Now, let me took my father's family seal and create the contract, bound you to us by blood, and also confirms that with my mother first," I said while Aqua enthusiastically nods upon my suggestion.

"You bound her to your family as a Youkai?" said Megumin skeptically.

"Just ask your brother, he studied works of literature so he must be familiar with the mythology behind it," I said as I stand up from the tatami. "And Aqua, please call me Jozuma here, as I don't tell my mother yet about our reincarnations and other kinds of stuff."

"Jozuma?" said Aqua in confusion.

"Just call him Jojo, his family calls him that," said Megumin mischievously.

"Hey! Not that!"

"Alright Jojo!" said Aqua in her cutest voice.

Well, at least being a Pillar Woman couldn't be that bad, right? Maybe I could just simply treat her as a Youkai anyway.

...

"Mooom?" I knocked on the door of my mother's room. "MOOOM?!"

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No answer...

"Mom?" I slowly slide open the door, and...

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"AAARRRGGGHHH! Jo... JOOOZUUUMAAA!" mom shrieked like she's in terror or something as she dropped the phone in her hand, and I could hear someone trying to speak to her across the phone. Ah well, great-grandmother or grandfather with their insidious lies, who murdered Aqua's innocent family without mercy.

"Geez, why so jittery mom? Aqua is our friend, she won't harm us in any way," I said as I entered the room. Mother appears to be extremely frightened of me for some reason anyway so.

"But... but..."

"She's just a Youkai, a Youkai! Just think of her as a Youkai, dad must already tell you stories about them, right? Anyway, Aqua agrees to become the Kujo family servant and familiar." I explained as I tried to pry my mother as she shook herself at the corner.

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"HOLLY! HOLLY! HOOOLLLYYY!" that sounds coming out from the phone and indeed sounds like my grandfather. It seems that for whatever reasons, Jiji frightened my mother with something or... oh well; he is the one who murdered Aqua's family, so...

"It has been a long time Jiji..." I said in my coldest tone.

"JO... JOZUMA! RUN JOZUMA! RUN AWAY! TAKE YOUR MOTHER OUT OF YOUR HOUSE AND RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!" said Jiji across the phone.

"OI JIJI! DON'T FRIGHTEN MY MOTHER WITH YOUR INSIDIOUS LIES YOU MURDEROUS BASTARD!"

"JO... JOZUMA! JOZUMA! JOOOZUUUMAAA!"

"YOUR PAST ACTIONS IS UNFORGIVABLE! MURDERER!"

"JOZUMA! WAIT!"

"DON'T EVEN THINK TO COME HERE AGAIN! BOTH YOU AND GREAT-GRANDMOTHER ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" I said as I heard the panicked sounds of my grandfather and great-grandmother. "DON'T EVER COME HERE YOU MURDEROUS BASTARDS!"

I slammed the phone into the station, but before that, I heard my great-grandmother saying something in the line of 'either vampire or flesh bud' in the background.

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"Jo... Jojo..." my mother cried as she literally cowers herself in the corner of her room. Oh crap, what lies that my murderous grandfather told her about then? Is the Pillar Men really the world-class threat or something like he claimed? As much as I could see about Aqua, sure, she could be said to be a Demon or something, but I have met Wiz and Vanir, and that told me that not all Demons are bad.

"Calm down mom, calm down, ok? Aqua won't harm anyone here." I said while I rummage the cabinet for the Kujo family seal. "We could bind her to serve us as Youkai servant anyway, she can't be that bad, and she healed me for Gods' sake!"

"You... you're not a vampire?"

"Vampire what?" I shrugged as my mother tries to avoid me when I came closer to her. "Oh, come on mom! Aqua only heals my face! See?"

"She... she heals your face? Not turning you into a vampire or planting a mind-controlling flesh bud?" said my mother while she gingerly touched my newly healed face.

"Geez mom, don't listen to Jiji and great-grandmother's lies. Aqua is a good Youkai and after the contract is sealed, she would be bound to serve our Kujo family. As long as you never mentioned your family being Hamon-users, everything would be fine."

Ah, there's the Kujo family seal, and there's the calligraphy paper suitable to make the contract.

"But... but..." stuttered mom as she carefully touched my forehead and poke into my mouth. "No flesh bud? You're not a vampire?"

"Come on mom, don't believe the lies spewed by Jiji and great-grandmother, I do know more stuff about Japanese myth than whatever lies Jiji told you about. Just don't mention anything about Hamon, alright?"

"Yes... But..."

"Come on, isn't father told you to look for new maidservants but you always claimed that you could do all the housework around this big ass house? We could have a new maidservant, and you won't discriminate to her just because she's a Youkai, right? Sure, Aqua could not work under the sunlight, but she could help you cleaning up the house, washing the clothes, scrubbing toilets, mowing the garden and such in exchange of being paid and treated like a friendly familiar."

Mom's face shows even more confusion at my statements.

"Geez, just let me introduce you to Aqua, she's a fine girl, even if she is already ten thousand years old or so," I said as I picked the calligraphy brush and inkpot out from the glass cabinet. "Just tell your gaijin family that this is how Japanese treat the friendly Youkai."

"But your grandfather and your great-grandmother will come soon so..."

"Tell them to never come here! Aqua is now the Kujo family Youkai servant and familiar, so if grandfather or great-grandmother DARES to lay harm upon her, they must fight me first!" I said as I pumped my fist in the air.

Well, I know that great-grandmother is some sort of magical kung-fu master, but I have fought worse, and even as my grandfather and great-grandmother still in good shape, they can't really hope to compete against my power of youthful muscles anyway right? And Aqua could heal me, so we have the advantage when it comes down to a fight.

Sure, planning to beat up your grandfather and great-grandmother is probably not the best thing to do, but considering that they basically condone the murders of Aqua's family, as long as I show her that I am at her side, everything would work out in the end.

...

Well, I hope that mother could convince her gaijin family to get out of their murderous ways of treating friendly Youkai like Aqua and her family.

Anyway, Yoshikage-san does come to pick up Megumin soon after I come out of my parents' room, but then he sees that the stone statue was already broken, and Aqua is there sitting around with Megumin at the living room (thankfully Aqua already wears the tracksuit properly). He does raise his eyebrows when I said about how we released Aqua, and she is a friendly Youkai to have around, but apparently, this kindhearted guy could simply accept my explanation and even agree to sit at our side as the witness to the contract together with Megumin.

I finished writing the contract to bind Aqua as the Youkai servant and familiar to the Kujo family. Sure, I end up copying the wordings from some old novels, but it seems that Aqua didn't mind about that anyway.

"And now, according to tradition, I need to stamp this contract with my blood, and you to do the same, Aqua."

I cut my left finger and mix the blood with the ink, before offering the inkpot to Aqua.

"Remember to give me good payment for this Jojo!" said Aqua cheerily as she does the same with her finger, and put some of her blood into the mix, well, her wounds do regenerate and closed fast, but regeneration is a typical power of Youkai anyway.

"And... the contract has been written... you are now our Youkai servant and familiar now!" I said after I stamped on the Kujo family seal on top of the contract paper.

"Ne Jojo, but why is your mother looking at me like that?" said Aqua as she pointed upon my mother, who bites her lip as she sat in seiza position near Megumin, fear apparent in her face.

"My mother is an American gaijin; of course she would be unfamiliar with this Youkai contract thing, so please pardon her," I said and Aqua just buys out my explanation, having Yoshikage-san and Megumin sit calmly as witness through the ordeal helps too.

"So... does that means I will sleep in your room now?" said Aqua, and I see Yoshikage-san's eyebrow twitched... wait...

"Mom, can you show Aqua the room formerly used by Nana-baa-chan?" I said as my mother still shows some skepticism in her face, but apparently, she accepted that enough so she and Aqua end up walking to show Aqua her new room.

"So she's the fallen Goddess that now becomes a Youkai inside the stone pillar, and you bound her to your family service?" said Yoshikage-san with a smile on his face. "So that means Megumi-chan would have a friend living here too, right?"

"Of course, Yoshikage-san, and thank you for your help for lifting her out of the pond anyway."

"Ah well, don't worry about that, I just hope that these supernatural things don't interfere with my peaceful life, that's all," said Yoshikage-san calmly.

"You're a literature student, right? You will write about being an eyewitness to a supernatural phenomenon, right?

"Well, I do study literature, but my focus is actually more generalist approach instead of focusing on Japanese literature. I would take that as a reference, but you could be assured that I will not refer directly to your family and prefers to keep things anonymous."

"You are such a nice person, thinking about keeping our life peaceful, you have my highest gratitude Yoshikage-san. Arigatou gozaimasu!"

"It is always my pleasure, Jozuma-kun, just make sure you will do nothing untoward to Megumi-chan and everything would be fine."

"Hai... Yoshikage-san."

"And don't try anything funny with that Youkai girl that will break Megumi-chan's heart, or I'll kill you."

"Onii-sama, Jozuma will never do anything like that," said Megumin while pouting upon what Yoshikage-san implied. Of course, I would never-ever-ever touch Aqua like that, she's more likes a sister to us anyway, so...

"I just make sure there will be nothing inappropriate happen, Megumi-chan," said Yoshikage-san with a smile. "Now, it's time for us to go home. We would back here tomorrow with your belongings, aren't we?"

"Thank you onii-sama!" said Megumin while hugging his kindly brother, oh well, THE CLICHE! THE CLICHE!

...

.

 _I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie ~world~_

 _Life in ~plastic~, it's ~fantastic~_

 _You can brush my hair, undress me ~everywhere~_

 _Imagination, life is your ~creation~_

.

Aqua happily sings while she currently repaired the broken part of the koi pond, already half-repaired by workers from yesterday, but as I knew she could do things faster than humanly possible anyway... At least I could make this useless ex-Goddess useful.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Jojo?" said Mother as she still looking worriedly upon Aqua, which apparently doesn't mind working traditional servant job.

"Trust me, mom, she's a good Youkai and will protect our house," I said as I turn my back and heading to my room. "You can trust her, and the worst she could do is only raiding our fridge, Youkai did need more food than humans anyway, so that is expected."

"Sure, I'm not concerned about our fridge, but..."

"Whatever lies grandfather and great-grandmother told you, don't believe them, they are gaijin and shall never understand the finer aspect of Japanese culture. Just leave her alone and she would be fine."

"Oh well, good night Jojo." said mom while giving me her goodnight kiss.

"Good night mom."

...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - The calm before the rage**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 6 April 1986**

"See mom, that's why Aqua is an excellent Youkai maidservant," I said to my mother while looking at Aqua's construction work, as she already repaired the hole at the side of the koi pond before sunrise.

Aqua already went in the house and seems to be lazing around until her next work, which basically still being undecided. This is 07.00, the sun shines from the east and my mother is now very convinced that I am not a vampire.

"Umm, okay Jojo..." said my mother, apparently trying to regain her usual demeanor, but it seems that something still weighing her mind.

"Don't worry mom, everything will be alright," I tried to reassure her that everything would be fine despite the scaremongering parts her family said about the Pillar Men.

Of course, having learned that her father and grandmother belongs in a group of self-righteous kung-fu clan responsible for exterminating Aqua's people and turning her into the last of her kind must weigh severely upon her conscience. Sure, the Pillar Men are indeed closer to Demons to most humans who never thought beyond their appearances, but that was no justification for their genocide, as they are thinking, feeling beings who could be empathized as a people.

"She watches television?" my mother asks as we enter the living room to see Aqua laughing her ass like children in front of the television, looking at Doraemon.

"Please think of her just like another person, even if she is a Youkai. The Pillar Men could think, could feel, they have emotions, they think each other as the family; they are just like us, humans."

"Your grandfather told me that they indeed possess some human-like quality, but they look down upon humans as nothing but food source," whispered mother as we moved far enough that Aqua could not hear us.

"Aqua admitted that she has eaten humans in the past, which was because said humans hunted her first, they never attack innocents without provocations. The Hamon Clan attacked them first so they have the justification of defending themselves, and they are Youkais for Gods' sake."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"That does not sound good Jojo." my mother's face turned into a slight frown as thinking about something that literally willing to eat humans was rather disturbing. As a lifelong nerd, however, I am familiar with many Japanese works that involve supernatural beings like Touhou, Kekkaishi, Inuyasha, Rosario + Vampire, and many other works. I understood the principle behind Youkai-human relations, and how they will obey blood-sealed contract because that was their nature to do so.

"Youkai could be good or evil and everything in between, just like humans, but far more often, humans held prejudices against Youkai out of fear and attack them without proper justification. I understood that sometimes the Youkai just can't avoid killing humans, but that could be controlled as blood-sealed contracts will bound them into a human in exchange of mutual protection guaranteed by both Heaven and Hell."

"Heaven and Hell?"

"Trust me mother, I know exactly what I said," I did manage to stay confident despite basing the entire concept of Youkai contract according to anime who portray them as just people like humans is something of a gamble in my part, but having memories of the afterlife does made me confident of this thing actually working because the enforcers of said contract do exist in the first place.

Yes this is cliche, but considering my life here since I started to enter high school are nothing but cliche, with Megumin suddenly coming back to my life, fighting a demon boy who uses ghost, finding and awakening Aqua, this is the time to become genre savvy with my life and make a bold choice.

"But what if she eats another human?"

"Pillar Men could subsist on any kind of food, preferably meat, but everything else would be alright. That's why I bind her through a blood-sealed contract to bind her as Youkai servant and familiar of the Kujo family. I could take control of which she could kill and who are protected as defined by the contract, as everyone without hostile intent to the Kujo family would be protected."

"Human lives are not something we should play with, Jojo."

"The other option is worse, mother... Sure, I could just let her free, but that actually comes with greater risk. If someone else with similar knowledge yet unscrupulous morals end up making Youkai contract with her first, the damage could be immense. Imagine if she ends up working for someone who has plans to do great evil by harnessing Aqua's powers."

"I see... But what if she touched someone innocent and inadvertently absorbs people?"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Ah, the one who often said by great-grandmother, the creepiest thing about how Pillar Men apparently eat by absorbing another living being through their skin. Of course, I already see this coming and actually confirm that with Aqua last night as well.

"The absorption things are just defense mechanism that could be turned on and off depending on the situation. Look, she didn't absorb me or Megumin even before we signed the contract, even when we are clearly touching each other."

Sure, I shall not mention the minor incident involving Aqua inadvertently absorbs the part of my bloodied face, but that was understandable because she still being an idiot and she does not eat at all during her two thousand years old slumber. She does heal my face completely afterward, so that should not be counted against her, considering her low intelligence.

"I understand your desire to protect her, as she is likely to be the last of her kind, and as much as I could see, she is essentially harmless to us this far, but there must be reasons why your grandfather fight against them at the first place."

"I can't really answer that, not that I want to risk her anger by having Jiji coming here to explain things at the first place, he killed four of the last five survivors of her people."

Mother slightly frowns as she hears my last sentence.

"At least you should never be that rude with your grandfather at the first place, if only you explained that, maybe he and your great-grandmother will not need to worry about us at the first place."

"I know..."

...

It is 11.00, Yoshikage-san's car arrives with Megumin's stuff tied up on top of his car, just as Yoshikage-san said before, and he is a very punctual person that always comes on time.

"Thank you for letting my sister lodge in your house for free, Mrs. Kujo," said Yoshikage-san as he bows toward my mother.

"You help Jojo first, Yoshikage-san, it is only natural for us to repay your kindness in return." said mom with a genuine smile on her face.

I helped Megumin lifting the boxes and trunks and put them into the shaded parts of the living room, where Aqua would help us with carrying them to Megumin's room. Of course, Megumin's room is just one room apart from Aqua's room, having an empty room used as storage room between them (and on the other flank of the house relative to my room).

"So, here's your new room, Megumin-chan." said my mother with a smile as we are tidying up her belongings here.

I can't help but notice that Yoshikage-san seems to be someone who has an eye for extreme tidiness, as he basically arranges everything in the room in neat, extremely categorized fashion even to the littlest of detail. He is such a diligent and orderly person that my mother can't help but smiles at his work. Megumin is indeed extremely lucky to have such diligent yet selfless big brother that willing to do little things for her sake.

As my mother and Yoshikage-san walked back to the gate, I can't help but looks at Megumin, who somehow rolled her eyes up looking at how neat, tidy, orderly, her new room is.

"I already told onii-sama that there is no need to keep everything this orderly, but it seems that he always took his time making sure that everything neatly ordered," said Megumin with a sigh as she looks toward the extremely neat arrangement of things on top of her desk, you can't help but think that using that desk would be a sin as it would always make the perfectly arranged things being... imperfect.

"You should thank your brother for always being a good example to us all," I said as I admire Yoshikage-san's handiwork. "Now if only Aqua could be as orderly as him."

"Hey!"

"Anyway Aqua, this night we'll go shopping, you do need some new clothes as you can't just use my tracksuits forever, and to think that my mother's clothes actually being too small for your frame," I can't help but notice that Aqua is actually just as tall as myself, and with her hairdo, she did seems even taller than me.

"Fuaaah! Really?" chirped Aqua happily.

"Yep, I think you should get a French maid uniform or something, just like what you wear when we masquerade as Darkness' butler and maid."

"Hahaha... well, the only one left is Darkness, but where is she anyway?" said Megumin as all of us nervously laugh being reminded about her.

"I do have a feeling that she may end up coming here really soon, but whatever, that's just my feeling," I said as I swept away some unshed tears that I unconsciously held in my eyes.

"Now, thinking about it, if your mother either untied her hair or tie them in a topknot, being as tall as you, and put some muscles on her frame, I could mistake her for Darkness," said Megumin.

"Puu kusu kusu kusu, what are you talking about Megumin? Darkness' rack is definitely bigger than Jojo's mom," laughed Aqua.

"Hey, don't talk about my mother's rack here!"

"Joking Jozuma, joking..." said both Megumin and Aqua as apparently, they do think my mother has some uncanny similarities with Darkness.

"Can't you all imagine how awkward it would be if my mother turned out to be Darkness all along? For Gods' sake Megumin!"

"But that would be funny!" laughed Megumin as she rolls herself on top of the tatami. "For somewhat reasons, I could see that your mother's face does resemble Darkness to a degree."

"That's because she has blonde hair with blue eyes dammit, come on... she is obviously not Darkness!"

"Because then you cannot tease her too much because she would be your mom! Imagine that! Jojo's mom is a masochist like Darkness! Jojo! Please whip me harder! Haaardeeer!" said Megumin without mercy as both of the girls laughed at my expense.

"My mother is not a masochist you dammit!" I pulled Megumin's cheeks as she keeps laughing over whatever nasty things she thought about.

"Ow ow ow ow ow, Jozumaaa!" shouted Megumin as she tried to wiggle her way out of my hands, but since she is even smaller than me now, she cannot really do anything.

"Now, what if Yoshikage-san looking at this? How you treat his little sister?" said Aqua mischievously.

"Shut up! Both of you!" I screamed but I also smiled at the same time, oh well, this does bring us back to our memories of Axel, back in our mansion.

...

"Jojo, Megumi-chan, do you want to eat lunch outside?" said my mother as she calls us from the living room.

Oh well, we were so engrossed in the talk that we apparently forget that the time is 13.30 already, and as we realized it, our (human) stomachs are indeed hungry already.

"What about Aqua mom?" I said as I didn't think about leaving her alone here.

"There's some pork at the fridge, she could cook and eat them if she wants," said mother as we look toward Aqua.

"Don't worry about me guys; I won't burn your house, Jojo! I promise!" said Aqua as we laid skeptical eyes on her.

"Well, if you promise to not make a mess over something," I said as we smiled towards Aqua.

...

"Where are we going, mom?" I asked as we walked out of the metro station and going into some open alleyway leading to a park in a suburb. Never knew that there could be a restaurant here, but maybe one of my mother's friends recommend something here to mom, so...

"Ahh, it seems that I must miss something!" said my mother in her cherry tone, but I do feel that she seems to be distressed over something. Oh well, maybe she forgot where to go? Should've used taxi instead of Metro then.

"Duh! Mooom!" I said in irritation as the sun shines high at the clear sky.

"Megumi-chan, do you want to go to the restroom?"

"Well maybe, but..." said Megumin, unsure about that.

"Could you be a good boy and wait for us here, Jojo, we won't take that long time."

"Alright, mom..." I said as I sat on the nearby bench.

Mother and Megumin end up entering one of the shops nearby, well, that should not take them too long, but who knows with women in 1986 anyway...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

I looked at my watch and I sense something is not right, however, my watch showed 14.30 it has been half an hour, and neither of them comes out from the shop. Maybe I should go there and check them or something, but maybe mother just... actually... want to interrogate Megumin about something?

Did she suspect us to already doing... that? Considering how easy her brother to just let us basically lives together? Or...

Uh, how to explain that? I never thought...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Uh... crap, why I never think about this? What if Megumin basically tells her everything about our previous life, and...

Where did they go anyway?

I walked across the road, yet can't help but feel like someone is watching me from behind.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"He's definitely not a vampire..."

"Thank God."

I immediately turn my back around at those voices, am I just hear Jiji and great-grandmother's voice out of nothing? But they are supposed to be still in America...

Wait, they can't be actually coming here faster than...

"NOW! Jojo! Follow my breathing!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

I turned around only to see Jiji charging towards me, and before I could react, great-grandmother tackled me and I found her grabbing my forehead and my ankle while Jiji put his hand behind my back.

"Haaa!" I heard they two take their breath at the same time before.

THE PAIN! OH FUCK THE PAIN! THE PAIN!

"FUCKYOUWHATAREYOUTWODOING!" I tried to wiggle myself out, but for some reasons, I found my body suddenly being as stiff as a plank as I can't even move my muscles, everything feels as if something hot and searing travels through my body.

I see yellow lights flickered around my body and feels like I was burned from the inside out.

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! WHAT ARE You two... doing..." I feel dizzy as those two old bastards continue to roast me with Hamon, and as they stopped, I found myself kneeled on the ground, dizzy and on the brink of unconsciousness.

"There are no signs of flesh bud upon Jozuma, just like the girl and Holly... how do the Pillar Woman control him and the girl at the first place?" said Jiji in confusion.

"Fuck... you... old... bastards... fuck... your... Hamon..." I managed to spat my last words before I fall face first into the ground and everything went black.

"JOZUMA! LISTEN TO US! JOZUMA!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - Hello Darkness, I got a ghost**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 6 April 1986**

For a moment, I think I was back there in Heaven when I opened my eyes and found myself directly looking into the familiar pair of tits under an angelic face. Her blue eyes framed by her long golden locks is indeed very familiar, even if she didn't tie her hair up in the usual high ponytail.

Now to think about it, as I should have some sort of growth boost here, and thus should actually being bigger than Darkness, but as I do looks at her with what I judges as my previous 'normal' point of view, this must be it, somehow Jiji and great-grandmother kills me with their Hamon, and Darkness is the one who receives me back in the afterlife.

Well, since I could excuse myself by 'I'm so sorry, just recently slain by two old, evil kung-fu masters', I rolled and buried my face underneath the pair and inhale her body scent deeply. Oh well, my face meets with her rock hard abs separated only by her white and yellow shirt, but that's to be expected as I hug her waist with my hands and felt her firm butt and back.

"Ah... ~not that~," that's what I've waited for, waiting for years to tease her, so this would be a good start as I buried my face in her lap.

Oh yeah, baby, this smoking hot body I touched with my hands could only belong to Darkness. And as expected, she did not really resist, like just weakly trying to pry my hands, with only her ragged breaths and muffled moans...

"Jojo? You awake?" well, that's my mother's voice, but... MY MOM?

I immediately shoot myself up straight and bumped my head upon what I could immediately recognize as the ceiling of a car, leaving a sizeable dent. Oh well fuck, it seems that whatever delusion I got, I end up essentially groped my own mother here, thinking of her as Darkness.

Sure, both Megumin and Aqua said that her coloration reminds them of Darkness, but for myself to actually falls on that, and 'taking my liberty' on her, oh shit! OH SHIT!

"SUMIMASEN! SUMIMASEN! SUMIMASEN! SUMIMASEN! SUMIMASEN! SUMIMASEN! I'm sorry mom! I think Jiji and great-grandmother just killed me!" I said as I repeatedly bow to her as deeply as possible, oh well, everything might end up awkward right now.

"Jojo! That's not how you greet your aunt Lala; and no, your grandfather and great-grandmother never tried to kill you in the first place," said my mother from the other side, and my mother turned out to actually sit at the front seat of the car, looking both confused and embarrassed with my antics, at the side of equally confused driver, who is a black man wearing white headband, red-brown overcoat, blue scarf, and golden necklaces with Egyptian symbols carved on it. I looked at the awkward face of my mother, before quickly looking back toward my so-called-aunt that I practically never met before, that I first mistook as Darkness, before mistaking her again as my own mother.

"SUMIMASEN! SUMIMASEN! SUMIMASEN! SUMIMASEN! SUMIMASEN! SUMIMASEN! I'm sorry aunt..." I closed my eyes while bowing to my latest 'victim' with an apologetic face, fully expect a long tirade of how I was such a salacious young man coupled with a series of slaps and physical assault that I deserve over...

No such things ever come even as I expect it, so I slowly opened my eyes...

All I see is just a blushing face of a woman who actually smiled equally lecherously as she held her hands up to her cheeks, blushing like mad as if she enjoys my recent acts GREATLY at that.

There's no mistaking it when our faces looking at each other, and I recognized that degenerate look upon her face.

"Kazuma?" said Darkness as she notices my now very obvious 'Kazuma' face and hairstyle, despite having a body that seems more fit to be put on a bodybuilder.

"Darkness?"

"Ka... Kazuma!" said Darkness as she hold my shoulders with her hands, and now, there's no mistaking it, even with my growth boost in this new realm, Darkness is still taller than me, and her wide-necked white-and-yellow shirt just can't hide the facts that she is actually rather bit more ripped than her previous self.

"No Lala, his name is Jozuma, Jo-zu-ma not Kazuma," said my mother, trying to correct my name.

"Wait a minute, she is..." I said while Darkness' face grew even deeper red.

"She is my sister, Lalatina Joestar."

"Bwa ha ha ha ha, of all things your name is Lalatina!" I laughed.

"SHUT UP! I don't know why the Hell Papa named me like that!" said Darkness, her face now all red with fury while my mother only looked at us in confusion.

"But you're my aunt?" I just realized that... well, that was still awkward but that was far less guilt than what I presume before.

"You're such a ~big~, ~naughty~ boy..." said Darkness, staring at me intently before moving on and rubbing my cheek with her own. "I ~missed~ looking at ~your~ face as you ~abuse~ me..."

"Yeah, sure whatever..." I just can't help but notice the five-pointed star-shaped birthmark on the back of her left shoulder.

"Lady Holly, you are lady Lalatina's elder sister and he is your son right?" said the black driver, pointing at us with an awkward expression on his face. "She is actually adopted, right? Because if yes that would be slightly less disturbing."

"Avdol, Lalatina is my full sister; my mother really have her at the age of forty-five, and we are really more than twenty-five years apart," said my mother as she chuckled awkwardly. "Our family is rather close, but I've never seen or even told Lala being this affectionate, maybe I should ask Papa more about her."

"My head... What was that?" said someone from the right back seat as she raised her head from what should be sleeping position, and as we see Megumin rubbed her eyes, Darkness quickly assume a normal seating position instead of invading my face.

"Me... Megumin?" said Darkness with a mix of both relief and confusion. "Why we end up here?"

"Aren't you should already see her?"

"Granny is the one who put your gi... Megumin at the back, Papa said that I should stand by here with Avdol in case something happened."

"Hello Darkness, my old friend," said Megumin while she scratches her head. "Now where is Aqua...?"

"Aqua?" said Darkness in confusion, but at least the old party has been completed, only...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"AQUA! WE MUST SAVE AQUA FROM THOSE OLD BASTARDS!" I screamed as I opened the car door and jumped out of the car, thankfully, the car was only a block away from my house.

"EH? AQUA?" said Darkness who follows me in confusion while Megumin quickly jumps out of the seat and join us running.

"THOSE DAMNED OLD BASTARDS WANT TO KILL AQUA!"

"EEEH?" said Darkness. "THE PILLAR WOMAN?"

"SHE IS AQUA DAMMIT!"

"But Papa and Granny said..."

"Your Papa, Jiji, is the very man who murdered four out of five innocent last survivors of the Pillar Men!" I shouted as we ran, seeing that the black driver already jumped out from the car and chase us with.

Did I just see a ghostly flaming bird with muscular arms emerges from that driver?

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Halt, Mr. Joestar said that you two should never go to that house before Mr. Joestar and Lady Elizabeth coming back."

"NOT THIS SHIT AGAIN! WHY EVERYONE EXCEPT ME HAVE MAGIC NOW?!" I eyed as the black man managed to get close and the flaming muscular bird-man grabbed Megumin and lifted her up.

"WHY TELEKINESIS AGAIN? WHY?" screamed Megumin as she futilely struggles to wrestle herself out from the muscular bird-man to no avail, and from how she described being lifted by that muscular bird-man as telekinesis, it seems that unlike me, she cannot see the ghost, so...

"The Pillar Woman seems to alter both of your minds, Jojo. I am under order to never let you two wander inside before they break the mind control spell!" said the black man while moving closer to me.

"Darkness! Save Aqua! I'll deal with this black man and his bird-man ghost!" I spewed command to Darkness and she keeps running into the already opened gate of my house, as I could already hear loud crashes coming from within.

"You could see my stand, Magician's Red?" said the black man while I turned around to face him. As I sized him up, unlike that pinkie boy I fight with at school, this man is actually as large as, if not slightly larger than me.

"Hell yes I can! What do you expect, Dakko-Chan?"

I understand that fighting ghost-using guy like this meant I should go for the user instead of being focused on the ghost as I can't harm it, but yet, fighting this man physically would be hard as I never actually trained for a fight in this world save for visiting gym and lifting weights once a week since I have nothing better to do and reading manga could only fill that far compared to playing games.

And this black guy is at least as muscular as myself, and from how he quickly took a stance, I instinctively understood that he is an experienced fighter indeed.

Seeing Megumin being held by the muscular bird-man, and the possibility of Aqua end up being murdered by Jiji and great-grandmother if Darkness turned out to end up following Jiji's orders instead...

I have no other choice but to fight this black man with everything I got, damn me if I go down without a fight.

"So this is it, you are still under the control of the Pillar Woman, Jojo, I am sorry to be forced to do this," said the black man while I charged at him, but he easily sidestep my clumsy punch and managed to grab me from behind, using my own momentum to throw myself on the ground.

"AAAH!" I screamed as the black guy easily pin me down on the ground as he locked my right arm behind my back as my left arm cannot do anything. I tried to flail with my feet but this black guy is actually managed to pin me as he sat upon me.

"Look, I am so sorry, but this is for the best. Your grandfather will explain everything to both of you later," said the black man while both I and Megumin now are literally placed in a helpless position.

"SCREW YOU GHOST USING DAKKO-CHAN! I CAN'T LET YOU MURDER AQUA!"

"The Pillar Woman wants to threaten the world using you two as her pawns! Snap yourself out of it! Mr. Joestar believes in you! Snap yourself!"

"SHE IS JUST A YOUKAI YOU IDIOT! SHE WILL NOT THREATEN ANYONE! I AM IN CONTROL!" I flailed as I tried to push myself out of the

"She is the creator of the Vampires and Zombies Jojo! Is your grandfather or Lady Elizabeth never told you anything about that?"

"YES DAMMIT, THAT'S WHY SHE'S A YOUKAI!"

Ah great, they are so racist toward Youkai that they just cannot accept the very fact that Dark Powers do exist, but not everyone who used them is a bad guy.

"Youkai... What? You meant that the Pillar Men is..." said the Dakko-Chan as if he partially understood what I meant, and I tried to snap my arm out of his lock.

But to no avail, as this black guy keep his grip tight upon my arm, all while Megumin already exhausted herself trying to wiggle out of that annoying muscular ghost of a bird-man.

If only I could have something to deprive this guy of his ghost, and maybe at the same time, having that kind of ghost for myself...

Time is ticking, and more loud crashes and explosions heard from the inside of my house, now if only I could do something...

Aqua will die if I am not doing something, right here... right now...

If only I still have my stealing power... If only I could steal that damned ghost bird-men from him...

I felt a bit dizzy as if I actually see myself being pinned on the ground by this oversized Dakko-Chan, and now as if I could actually see the red-and-orange muscular bird-man far more clearly now.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Something is formed out from my body... and it heads at the black guy. My vision felt doubled but I didn't feel dizzy at all, and everything just seems like I am being two persons at once or...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"YOU'RE A STAND USER?!" said the annoying Dakko-Chan while the muscular bird-man suddenly released Megumin from his grip to face the ghost-like thing I just apparently created, but I instinctively ordered the ghost to attack the black man so he is forced to release the armlock.

"Gotcha you bastard!" I grinned as I used every last of my strength bear-hugging the black man from behind, and as if on instinct, that magical ghost thing that I accidentally summoned or spawned, grasped the black man's head.

The muscular bird-man spews a barrage of fire formed in the Ankh symbol of the Egyptians. It is searing hot and painful as the barrage blasting upon my ghost-thing burning it, but I keep pressing on and before long. I have done that once when that pinkie demon boy attacked me, I could do that with this Dakko-Chan too, as long as Aqua is alive, she could heal me back.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Before after a time, the ghost-thing that I controlled suddenly pulls out two discs out of the black man's head, and as soon as those discs were pulled out, both the muscular bird-man ghost disappeared and the fire ceased from burning the ghost-thing that I control.

The black man just falls unconscious, and everything ended, for now.

I looked at the ghost-thing, that looked at me back, and I could still instinctively controls... him?

It was a mostly white humanoid ghost, with a slender build, but still, a muscular one, half crouching with his arms dangling freely in front of his body, and his demeanor definitely reminds me of a snake. He has sparse purple-black clothes that looks like what is BDSM gear (oh great, Darkness will love it), wearing black mask of the same purple-black color covering the upper part of his face, which ended in a row of peaks like a crown, as I looked at his white skin, I could see horizontal stripes of roughly an inch wide wrapped along his body, with Latin letters of "KUZUGESUKUZUGESU" repeatedly written on every other stripe.

Wait, why this ghost has the insult words often directed at me written on its body? Is this ghost actually the personification of my worst personality or something? Trash and scum? Really?

"Wow, you're really strong Kazuma! But what was those floating things for anyway?" said Megumin as she points out towards the two discs carried by the ghost-thing I controlled. Apparently, she really can't see him, so... oh well?

My ghost-thing hand over the disc to my hand and I could see the word 'DISC' printed upon each of that discs' face (gee, whatever magic works in this world, thanks captain obvious). I could also see the muscular bird-man with words [MAGICIAN'S RED] printed on top of it, while the other disc has the face of the black man inside of it, I could swear that I glanced at his life as fortune teller in Egypt when I see that particular disc, and I realized that his name is Muhammad Avdol by only glancing on the second disc.

Well, that's disturbing, but it seems that the ghost that this black man controlled is actually called 'stands' and this Avdol's stand is named 'Magician's Red' for some reasons. So I put the disc with Avdol's memory inside my coat pocket while keeping the other with [MAGICIAN'S RED] label at my hand.

I realized that my own ghost needs a name, but this creepy ghost of mine seems to just stand there, partially crouching with his arms in front like a coiled snake...

"Alright, I'll just call you 'Whitesnake', okay?" I talked to my ghost as we resume running into my house.

And this [MAGICIAN'S RED] disc? Well, I looked at Megumin, who looking confused at how I must look like talking to thin air, according to her point of view, and I just know that maybe this is just fate as she was a magician in her past life, so...

"Here, catch!" I throw her the disc that has the label that is close with her old job to her, but Megumin only looked in confusion.

"Magician's Red?"

"That black guy's stand, he's apparently a magician here, so maybe you could use it!" I said as I entered the gate of my house.

"How to use this?"

"I don't even know! What I know is you are a Magician and you wear Red!"

"I am an Arch-Wizard, not some lowly Magician dammit! What should I do?"

"I said I don't even know dammit! Whitesnake just instinctively pulls it out of his head! Maybe you should try to channel some explosion spell or something through it?"

I could hear Aqua's scream from the partially destroyed part of my house, and I see a surge of water jet cutting through the wall like it was just butter.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Jiji and great-grandmother would be in for a surprise!" I said as I summoned Whitesnake to run ahead of us.

Well, things are going better than expected right now. I just hope to give Jiji and great-grandmother a good beating before them...

I see Jiji jumping out of the house and landed on top of the pond, but instead of being plunged, he somehow managed to keep himself walking on top of the water? Dammit, this Hamon magic...

Unfortunately, at the same time, Megumin slipped and falls on the ground, the disc at her hand flying directly toward Jiji's head.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"JOZUMA! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO LALATINA! URK!"

I looked at disbelief on how the disc end up lodged itself inside Jiji's head, and it goes all the way as the disc with [MAGICIAN'S RED] completely disappeared while Jiji suddenly loses his balance and falls into the pond.

Wait, we didn't just unexpectedly kill my grandfather, yes? How could I explain this to my mother?

Fuck! It doesn't suppose to end like this!

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 - Wait, what the Hell happened?**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 6 April 1986**

"JOZUMA! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO LALATINA! URK!" that's literally Jiji's last words before he loses his balance and falls into the pond with a splash. Before I realized that Jiji has a rope looped in his hand as he falls, and somehow, he managed to pull down the shoji walls and collapsing the roof away at the same time, exposing Aqua, Darkness, and great-grandmother to the sunlight.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Did I just kill your grandfather?" said Megumin, confused on what just happen in front of us.

"I am not looking forward to explaining this to my mother," I said as I sent Whitesnake to fish Jiji out of the pond. Well, maybe Aqua could be persuaded to revive him in exchange for not bothering us anymore, but still.

"DARKNESS! SAVE MEEE!" Aqua screams as her skin slowly turned into stone with some gashes that burn bright yellow, great-grandmother tried to jump towards her but Darkness managed to intercept her with...

"ZOOM PUNCH!" said Darkness as she knocked great-grandmother off the way, and wrestles her to the ground.

"LALA! SNAP IT OUT!" shouted great-grandmother as Darkness resorting to pulling great-grandmother's long gray hair as the former dodged most of Darkness' punches to the ground, leaving small craters along the way.

"AQUA! Run inside the house! We'll take care of this old hag!" I command her to escape the fight while she can as I walked toward Darkness and great-grandmother, the later still trying to escape Darkness' hold of her arms and hair as they grappled.

"Jo... Jozuma... why..." said great-grandmother while suddenly, we heard a splash from the pond.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

The flaming bird-man I see earlier with the black man suddenly emerges from the pond, together with Jiji, who seems rather confused.

"Jozuma... you are a stand user?" said Jiji, bewildered as he gazes upon the Whitesnake, which menacingly crouch at my side, hands bent in front of his chest ready for to pounce, with his mouth open, baring the fangs inside.

"Uh, is that the black guy's stand at your side?" I pointed the muscular bird-man, and Jiji seems to be equally surprised by the existence of the muscular bird-man ghost at his side.

"Oh well, wait a minute," said Jiji as he breathes deeply and the muscular bird-man suddenly raises his right knee and bent his left arm horizontally in front of his chest while pulling his right arm at his side, while Jiji quickly stand up with his left leg slightly in front but close with his right, bent and contract his right arm at his side, showing off his muscles, before he spread his mechanical left arm in front of his face, striking a peculiar pose together with the muscular bird-man.

Why the hell Jiji strikes a pose at this moment when we are supposed to fight each other anyway? What a bizarre guy.

"Ahhh, that brings back memories..." said Jiji while he suddenly frowned and scratches his beard. "But why the hell I suddenly have a stand that matches Avdol's description of his Magician's Red?"

"JOSEPH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW?!" screamed great-grandmother at the sheer bizarre display Jiji just done in front of us.

"Maybe because I throw the disc that said 'Magician's Red' into your head?" said Megumin, and I just realized what kind of power my stand has, it could literally steal stands, but why of all things.

"Oh, so you steal Avdol's stand?" said Jiji while smiling and pointing his finger towards Megumin, who shook her head.

"Not me, Jozuma does!" said Megumin while Jiji merely raised his eyebrows as he keeps smiling towards us.

"You didn't see this?" said Jiji while the muscular bird-man strike a pose with his arms up, the left hand grab his right elbow and the right hand grab his left shoulder directly in front of Megumin.

"See what?" said Megumin confused, and I just plain out thinking that maybe having stand disc lodged in his head just made Jiji insane or something, as the muscular bird-man continues to strike various poses.

"So Jozuma, who is this?" said Jiji while pointing his finger in front of Whitesnake, which made both of us very confused as Jiji poked his finger on Whitesnake's rather non-existing nose.

"Uh... my stand... Whitesnake? What are you doing?" I just can't describe what the fuck happened as Jiji just poked Whitesnake's face repeatedly with his finger, before the bird-man end up joining in their juvenile antics, causing my face to feel their poking all the way. "Cut it out! That's ridiculous! Aren't we supposed to fight or something?"

Looking at great-grandmother and Darkness' face, they are just equally confused with Jiji's sudden change in demeanor, wait, did having that stand disc lodged in his head turned him senile?

"OH, MY GOD! What fighting you? Why?" said Jiji as if he just strolling around and not fighting Aqua and Darkness earlier here. Oh great, apparently I just turned Jiji into a senile old man, but at least this would be a rather harmless conclusion of our fight.

"JOSEPH!" screamed great-grandmother, but Jiji just put his finger on her lip.

"Shush! This is all your fault coach Lisa Lisa! Why are we fighting here at the first place anyway? Lalatina, I'll take granny to the retirement house, it seems that she needs one." said Jiji while he yanked great-grandmother from Darkness' hold, as the later could only look at Jiji with her jaw literally hanging due to the sheer insanity of this, all of sudden.

We literally could only look with sheer disbelief on how Jiji just carried great-grandmother on his shoulder all the way out while humming a cheerful nonsense tone that sounds like 'happy joy-py nice to meet you-py'.

"Oi Jojo-dono, how did you managed to turn that annoying old Hamon warrior insane?" said Aqua as she peeks behind the shadow, apparently also confused with all that happened so suddenly.

"Beats me..." I said while circling my index finger at my ear.

"What are you doing to Papa?" said Darkness.

"Wait, he is your papa?" said Aqua in shock. "You are a Hamon warrior now?"

"Uh... Granny said that we are going to eliminate the last Pillar Man, who held my sister's family hostage, but that turns out to be you."

"Hostage what? Who's your sister?" said Aqua, equally confused.

"Uh, his mother," said Darkness while pointing at me. "Is my sister."

"Oh..." said Aqua while we notice that Jiji just get out of the ruined gate with great-grandmother struggling to escape from his shoulder, but apparently Jiji ends up ignoring all of this. "Wait, does that means you two is related?"

I look guiltily toward Darkness, and Darkness just blushes, oh well, way to say hello to your aunt that you just met.

"So... your stand could cause madness?" said Darkness in an accusatory tone.

"You could see Whitesnake?" I made Whitesnake pinched Darkness' neck.

"~Awww~ Jozumaaaa..." said Darkness with pleasure.

"Why can't I see your stand or whatever?" said Aqua from behind the shadowed part of the house.

"You too can't see my stand?" I order Whitesnake to move toward Aqua and pinched her cheeks.

"At at ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch..." said Aqua, confused as she clearly cannot see or touch Whitesnake, even as she raised some tentacles out of her back in the attempt to touch Whitesnake, but to no avail as said tentacles just pass through Whitesnake harmlessly.

"Anyway dammit, Jiji and great-grandmother just wrecked my house and they end up just walk away!" I just realized that the parts of the house where Aqua and Megumin's rooms are located are totally wrecked, with Jiji pulling down the wall and the roof at that. "Hey Darkness, can I demand damage reimbursement to Speedwagon foundation?"

"Uh, maybe?" said Darkness while scratching her head. "But you just made Papa insane!"

"Do you want us to kill them in the first place?" I said in irritation.

"Uh no... But..." said Darkness while pointing out towards the gate, and then back to me.

"Even I don't know what the hell happened?!" I said in indignation while looking at the clock. "This is 17.00 already, and I am not eating anything from the afternoon, thanks to those two old bastards."

"I am sorry Papa and Granny knock you out Jozuma!" said Darkness. "You could ~punish me~ for what they have done to you."

"No..."

"~Punish~ me, ~ravish~ me... I want..."

"NO DAMMIT! Actually, is the telephone still connected? I... Wait a minute, we forgot about my mom! You three wait here, I'll look at her, should still in the car, right?"

As I poked my head outside of the gate, I could see that apparently the black guy already awakened and went away, the car is still there, but nobody was there.

"Wait a minute, did Jiji just kidnap my mother?"

"What?" said Darkness, equally confused.

"Apparently they all flee from here," I said dejectedly as I just can't found anyone.

"Ne, Jojo-dono, may I eat some of your Koi fish? I literally need to suck out the quintessence of living beings to repair the damage done from Hamon," said Aqua.

"Uh? Well? Can't you just eat the pork in the fridge?"

"I could regenerate myself in time, but sucking the quintessence of living beings is a much faster way to recover," said Aqua, and I sighed as I used Whitesnake to literally snatch out two big koi fish and throw them in front of Aqua.

"Arigatou, Jojo-dono!" said Aqua as she literally plunge her hands into the fishes and I see in front of my eyes that those fishes end up shriveled and deflated as if they are sucked through her hands.

"Anyway, where are those two old bastards going?" I said to Darkness, who just shrugs her shoulders.

...

But as we wonder about them, suddenly something bright and purple flashes behind Aqua.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT!" said Aqua while she reflexively run outside of the corridor into the sunlight, and we could only look in horror as another bright purple beam directed to her from on top of the roof, and before we could say anything, Aqua has been rendered immobile as most of her body turned into stone and...

"JIJI! YOU BASTARD!" I screamed as I realized that he just basically walks from the inside of the corridor carrying a big-ass ultraviolet searchlight, while great-grandmother is the one who stands on the roof with similar searchlight aimed at Aqua, which now already turned completely to stone.

"Well, aren't you happy now?" said Jiji with a smug smile on his face.

"YOU BASTARD!" I sent Whitesnake to punch his smug face, but the muscular bird-man appears in front of him and knocked Whitesnake to the side, and I end up being knocked as well.

Great-grandmother jumps down from the roof and quickly put her hands around Megumin's head, before jumping in to fight Darkness as Megumin already crumpled unconscious on the ground.

"And to think that the one who minds control my Lalatina is not the Pillar Woman, but you..." said Jiji in completely serious tone. "Jozuma... I am disappointed."

"Wait... what..."

"Next you will say 'You should've turned senile' right?"

"You should've turned senile... NANI?" how the hell Jiji could know what I would say and...

"I don't know how Avdol managed to summon the fire from his stand, but I think this should be enough! What have you done to Avdol is unforgivable!" said Jiji as he jumped in front of me with the muscular bird-man, even as I summoned Whitesnake to defend myself.

And before I could process what happened, the muscular bird-man unleashes a series of flurry punches toward Whitesnake.

"DO RA RA RA RA RA RA RA RA RA RA RA RA RA!" screamed the muscular bird-man as I felt dizzy being pummeled with all of those many punches at once before it ends up with an uppercut that flings me into the pond together with Whitesnake. "DORA!"

Holy shit, why this happens to me again...

"Jiji..." I said as I tried to climb out of the pond, but Jiji ends up lifting me by my collar with his left hand as he inhales his breath and prepares for a nasty punch with his right.

"HAMON! OVERDRIVE!"

And everything went black after that...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

As I started to regain my consciousness and trying to open my eyes, I could see Jiji and great-grandmother standing in front of me in the living room, it was night already, and I found my hands and feet were bound by rope.

But the same thing happened with Darkness and Megumin, for they are bound at my side, while Aqua ends up staying as a stone statue, secured by a series of ultraviolet searchlights aimed at her.

Anyway, I see the black guy from before, but he is still unconscious, as he was laid on top of a futon in front of us.

"Jozuma, undo whatever thing you have done to Avdol and release your mind control from Lalatina!" said Jiji in front of my face. "Your mother said that you controlled the Pillar Woman through blood-sealed contract, and killing the Pillar Woman will kill you as well! What are you thinking?!"

Oh great, now I am the culprit. I looked at the other person exist in the room, and my mother just looks at us with a worried expression on her face.

"What do you want? Conquer the World using the power of your stand and the Pillar Woman? Create an army of Vampires and Zombies loyal to you? Reject your humanity?"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

What a great day...

"Sigh..."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - Big cat out of the bag**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 6 April 1986**

"Create an army of Vampires and Zombies loyal to you? Reject your humanity?" great-grandmother said in a tone that conveys both anger and sadness, as while I feel the bitterness in her voice, I also realized that she actually cried as she said that accusation.

"No great-granny, but..."

"I am not being mind controlled, Granny. Aqua is our friend!"

"Snap yourself Lalatina, what you say didn't make sense!" said Jiji while putting his hand on Darkness' shoulder. "Jozuma, please, at least release your aunt from your mind control!"

"I am not mind-controlling her! Just ask her yourself!"

"I am not being controlled by Jozuma... but if Jozuma wants to ~control~ and ~ravish~ me, I won't mind..." Darkness fidgeted as the red blush creeps upon her face. Oh, shit, of all time for her masochism to surfaces.

I could see Jiji, great-grandmother, and even my mother's face all went red upon hearing that.

"YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT! RELEASE YOUR AUNT FROM YOUR DEPRAVED MIND CONTROL! NOW!" screamed Jiji as he literally shook my collar with his full force.

"I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING TO HER! I SWEAR!"

"I... do ~want~ to be mind controlled by ~Jozuma~... but... I'm currently not and..." Darkness continues her depraved fantasy while looking at me with envy; apparently, she wants to be on the receiving end of Jiji's wrath, for obvious reasons.

"Snap yourself, Lala! Don't say something as disturbing as that! JOZUMA! RELEASE HER MIND CONTROL NOW BEFORE YOU TURN US INSANE!" screamed great-grandmother as she shook Darkness, the later which only smiles as she gets what she wants; that depraved masochist.

"YOU LITTLE JAPANESE CREEP! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" screamed Jiji.

"HEY! NO RACISM!"

"Uh, Jojo please release Lala from your mind control, which was improper..." even my mother joined pleading me to undo something that I have never done in the first place.

"Darkness is not being mind controlled! She knows what she's doing! Darkness just being smitten to Jozuma and want to get into his pants, as usual..." spat Megumin, and upon hearing the word 'Darkness', I see Jiji and great-grandmother squint their eyes.

"Darkness who?" Jiji stops shaking my collar and is apparently confused with how we refer to well, Darkness, or should I say Lalatina?

"I am Darkness!" said Darkness, and my relatives' faces turned pale.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Wait... Darkness... so this is not..." Jiji stutters before he looks toward great-grandmother, whose face seems even more distressed than before.

"I do remember the Pillar Woman invoke Darkness to save her when exposed to the sunlight. This 'Darkness'..." whispered great-grandmother while taking two steps back, releasing her grip on Darkness' collar, even to the latter's displeasure.

"Considering Jozuma do control the Pillar Woman using what is an outright mystical contract, and he calls her as a Youkai..." said Jiji while looking as if he is unsure about things to do.

The three of us could only look in confusion before something clicked in my mind, of course, nobody else but us know that Darkness is just what we call her, but to outsiders, the name 'Darkness' did felt extremely ominous, so...

I used the moment to exchange a quick smirk between myself and Megumin that seems to have a similar thing in her mind. It seems that we may have something to bluff about so those two old bastards may leave us in peace.

"That's right Jiji, just ask Darkness on what actually happened," I said in my most menacing tone. "Is that right, Darkness?"

"Yes... the truth is we did know each other before, it was a bit convoluted and you may not believe it, but..." said Darkness, but before she could say more, Megumin cut her off.

"And Darkness helped us because she is Darkness, the Darkness of the darkest Black Night; she is the old friend of the Pillar Woman Aqua and the darkest nightmare that will always haunt you if you continue to detain us like this. If you want Lalatina back, you must obey our demand, otherwise, Darkness would stay here and you could do nothing against the power of Darkness!"

"Eh, Megu..." said Darkness but I don't give her time to explain herself.

"That's right, I am not the one in control of Lalatina, and you all could guess that the one in control is Darkness, and she wants you to free Aqua and leave us alone. Or Darkness will never leave Lalatina in the first place! CHOOSE! DARKNESS OR LALATINA!"

"Hey!" said Darkness when we call her the embarrassing name of hers.

"Uh... this is what I feared Joseph, Jozuma and her girlfriend is too young to act like this... and it turns out that..." said great-grandmother.

"A demonic entity named Darkness is behind all of this, and it possessed Lalatina... To think that I never take the church seriously..." said Jiji while he took a step further back.

"But Papa! It is convoluted and you may not believe it but..."

"Yes, that's right, Darkness is in control of Lalatina, and she demands you to free us first, or else," I said in the most menacing tone I could muster while at the same time, summoning Whitesnake to stand at my side.

Jiji momentarily tensed, but it seems that he is in control enough that the muscular bird-man appears as a response.

"Well 'Darkness' what is your demand to release my daughter Lalatina from your control?" said Jiji as the atmosphere grew intense.

"Ummm... release Aqua?" said Darkness awkwardly.

"Release us from the bind and swear not to bother us ever again. Then maybe we could ask Darkness to leave Lalatina," I said in my most menacing tone.

"Or if not, Darkness will take control of Lalatina... and she will enjoy the most depraved masochistic fantasy we could conjure!" said Megumin in her creepiest chuuni tone, that somehow reminds me of Yoshikage-san.

"HEY, NOT IN FRONT OF MY PAPA!" screamed Darkness, apparently we just break her shame threshold again, but suddenly...

*RING* *RING* *RING* *RING* *RING*

The telephone rang, breaking the tense situation as my mother quickly run to answer the phone.

"Yes, Kujo residence here... ... ... Oh, Yoshikage-san? Oh... ... ... Yes... ... Ah, right... ... ... What? Oh... ... ...Really?... ... ... Don't worry about it, that was a reasonable request... ... ... Yes, I understand... ... ... I will make sure that there is nothing improper between them... ... ... Yes... ... ... That's unexpected but... ... ... I understand... ... ... Alright. Thank you as well for being such a kind, understanding person... ... ... I know it must be hard... ... ... I have no prejudice against that, Yoshikage-san... ... ... Good night too..."

Uh crap, Megumin's brother phoned us at this moment?

"Ano... Jojo... Megumin-chan... Yoshikage-san said that even if you two were already married in your past life before you two reincarnate here, he said that it would be better if you don't do anything improper that could result in jeopardizing your education," said my mother awkwardly, dropping the bomb, or so to speak.

"WHAT? THAT'S A LIE! WE ALL DIED BEFORE YOU TWO END UP DOING ANYTHING OF MENTION LET ALONE MARRIED!" screamed Darkness to Megumin.

"IT'S NOT LIKE YOU COULD MARRY KAZUMA! YOU TWO ARE RELATED NOW!" screamed Megumin back.

"THAT'S NOT IT! YOU TWO WERE NEVER MARRIED! BOTH OF US ALREADY SLEPT TOGETHER WITH KAZUMA!" screamed Darkness.

"OH NO!" screamed Jiji as he heard the phrase 'slept together'.

"YOU MASOCHIST HUSSY!" Megumin spat back.

"OH MY GOD!" screamed Jiji as he seems to already grasp the situation between us.

"AT LEAST HE STILL THINKS TWICE ABOUT BEING WITH YOU! SEEING THAT YOU TWO..."

"Oooh Nooo..." said Jiji weakly as he falls down to the ground face first, while great-grandmother just slaps her hand to her face.

"IT'S MY TURN DARKNESS! THAT'S WHY THE GODS REINCARNATE YOU AS HIS AUNT SO YOU CAN'T STEAL KAZUMA FROM ME!"

"I SEE HIM NAKED FIRST!"

"Holly, we are not going mad, aren't we?" said great-grandmother in worried tone to my mother.

"I CONFESSED FIRST!"

"I KISSED HIM FIRST!"

"There must be some explanation over that, Granny," said my mother softly, even as she bears a very awkward grin upon her face.

"YOU ARE HIS AUNT NOW!"

"..."

I could see Jiji (that already recovered from his fall rather quickly), great-grandmother, and even my mother just looking at us with awkward expressions in their face, even the muscular bird-man has the roughly same expression in his face, as the cat is now literally out of the bag.

As my relatives seem to be greatly disturbed with the revelation, I used the moment for Whitesnake to took the black guy's memory disc out of my coat pocket and put it back on his head.

...

"Reincarnation?" said great-grandmother as she and Jiji managed to snap out from their stupor, while my mother only stands there with a blank stare in her eyes and her jaw dropped wide open.

"It's a bit disturbing seeing my own daughter outright admit she sleeps with my own grandson, even in past life..." said Jiji as he looks toward us with awkward expression in his face.

"THAT'S NOT..." I tried to explain that everything is actually more innocent than it sounds, but suddenly, a series of coughs could be heard as the black man regains his consciousness.

"Where... where am I?" said the black man weakly as he tried to prop himself up into a sitting position.

"Welcome back Avdol, I'm sorry of what my insolent grandson has done to you..." said Jiji while his eyes never left Darkness and Megumin, who still locked in the fierce staring contest over me, even as I see the muscular bird-man is now looking at the black man with longing look as if...

"Your grandson is a stand user... Wait... Where is Magician's Red?" said Avdol in panic as his face turned desperate over something, frantically pat the floor and everything around him as if trying to search for something, even as the said stand is now literally standing in front of his face.

"Calm down Avdol, your stand is currently standing in front of you," said Jiji while the muscular bird-man grasps Avdol on his shoulders.

"Ma... Magician's Red? Why he ended up with you?" Why I can't see him?!" said Avdol, still in panic even as he is a bit calmer now.

"Blame my grandson, apparently his stand could steal another stand, and his girlfriend somehow flung that stand into my head! But there's something far more disturbing going on right now," said Jiji in a neutral tone.

"Stealing another stand? I know that stands could have various powers... but that... that was quite an insidious, cruel one," said Avdol in a shaky voice. "I have Magician's Red at my side since birth, having him forcibly ripped off from my side like this... I feel mutilated, Mr. Joestar."

"I know, but may I borrow your stand for a while? At least until we managed to talk some sense to my grandson and the apparent reincarnations which is an extremely disturbing revelation in itself," said Jiji while putting his hand at Avdol's shoulder. "I do sense that your stand wants to go back to you as soon as possible, but I must ensure everything is safe first..."

"Mr. Joestar, if that was required... I..."

"Here, take this, I'm not sure if this would make you feel better or something, but at least you would not be the only one mutilated here..." said Jiji as he opens the glove from his left hand before he pulls out his prosthetic left hand and gave it to Avdol. "This is just a symbolic thing, but you could keep that when my grandson explains his side of the story."

"Thank you, Mr. Joestar..."

"And now, Jozuma... You could start to explain to us what do you mean by that Pillar Woman being your friend."

...

"For the starter, Aqua is really our friend, before our reincarnation here, she was a Goddess..." I said before looking at Jiji, who gave his full attention, and then continues. "But due to her broke many of the important laws of Celestial Bureaucracy, she ends up stripped from her status as a Goddess and punished to repent her sins as a pillar of stone or something. Who knows that she actually ends up being a Pillar Woman, of all things."

...

Basically, I told most of the things that were known by all of us as an adventuring party, but to avoid bungling things even more with multiverse theory and such, I end up basically not telling them that I was a Japanese Hiki-NEET even before I end up taking adventuring in Eris' realm. Thankfully, both Megumin and Darkness seem to not in the mood to contest my origin story, and Megumin's name does close enough to be taken as Japanese name anyway.

And at the end of the story, before we even realize it, great-grandmother already opened our bindings and we are now sitting around the table.

"And why only you told your family about that..." said Jiji while pointing out to Megumin. "And you two never told us anything about it?"

"My brother is the kindest person I know, he is always willing to hear my stories, even if everyone else laughs at me and thought me as a weirdo," said Megumin while Darkness could only lower her head in shame.

"Because you are Western Gaijin and I doubt you will believe in the concept of Reincarnation!" I whispered and hope nobody would hear it.

"Now you are the racist one Jozuma..." Jiji sighed as he shook his head. "We are Hamon practitioners and you do know that Speedwagon foundation does have works on esoteric interests on behalf of mankind. We fought Vampires, Zombies, Pillar Men, and other threats that many would deem supernatural and beyond the grasp of average men. Hearing a reincarnation story like this won't make us judge you as insane, in fact, you are the one who should tell us first about this, and that includes you, Lalatina."

"Can we reanimate Aqua now?"

"NO!"

"But consider this, how many people Aqua killed after I took control of her? Zero," I said the question but it seems that now it's time for great-grandmother to speak.

"The Pillar Men are the greatest threat to humanity, Jozuma," said great-grandmother as she put her hand upon my shoulder. "They are the creator of the stone masks, and from that, create countless Vampires and Zombies to do their bidding and terror humanity since the dawn of time. They had killed thousands upon thousands of humans to satiate their hunger."

"But Aqua is harmless..."

"You said yourself that she has eaten humans in the past, and this is not something you could easily sweep underneath. You should already know about the story of our family..."

"I know... but that's just how Youkai operate... that's the only natural thing to do because they have no contract!"

"We often told you the story of Jonathan Joestar, my grandfather, who sacrificed himself fighting the evil vampire Dio Brando, we have told you the tragedy of George Joestar, my father, who was murdered by a zombie agent of said vampire, and of course my own story about how I fight the threat of the Pillar Men in my youth..." said Jiji as he sighed and exchanged a knowing look between him and great-grandmother." But you never told either him or Lalatina about your father, isn't that right, mother?"

My great-grandmother only nods and Jiji continues his story.

"Let me tell you the story about how I killed my other grandfather, or so to speak. Let me tell you the story of Straizo, a Hamon master who raised and teaches your great-grandmother the arts of Hamon, who end up turning himself into a Vampire as he falls into his own temptation..."

"We never told you all this story because this is the greatest shame that could befall upon us, but I do feel this would be an extremely relevant story for today, as with a Pillar Woman around, turning you into a vampire could be done in such easy way..." said great-grandmother as she wipes away the tears from her eyes.

...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 - Stands can't be that bad, right?**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 6 April 1986**

"And that's why we don't want you to suffer the same fate as him, as even he who fight monsters should see it that he himself does not become a monster, let alone someone who never fully aware of the temptations at the first place," said Jiji as he finishes his story about the Hamon master who turned himself into a vampire.

"But, we will never turn ourselves into vampires."

"As we said before, nobody even suspects that my father's true motive was as simple as to obtain the eternal youth. Hamon training do slow down aging by roughly half the rate, but vampires are technically immortal beings," great-grandmother sighed as she shook her head softly. "One of my own family turned himself as a vampire is bad enough, I don't want to see another turned for the same or an equally stupid reason."

"We promise we won't turn ourselves into vampires, we promise that Aqua will be a good monster Granny..."

"She is a harmless Pillar Woman, great-granny, she used to hate the undead and would not turn us into undead ourselves..."

"And even that we do know a handful of good demons and undead in our past life..."

"No, the stakes involved are too high," said great-grandmother as she looks toward the stone-Aqua. "All you need to do is one slip away and you will doom this world."

"But she is our friend; you would not let your own friend getting killed right?" I said as I looked toward Jiji, whose faces seem to be deeply troubled by the revelation.

"I will not lie to you, if I found myself exactly in your situation without knowing better, especially in my younger days, I will do the same thing like Jozuma does," Jiji sighed as great-grandmother look at him with raised eyebrows. "I believe their story, and even as dangerous as she is, I knew full well the pain of losing a friend. But then, keeping a Pillar Woman alive like this would also mean pissing on everyone else who already sacrificed themselves against the threat of Pillar Men and their spawns."

"But Jiji, she never kills anyone you know about right? She just awakened yesterday and was asleep for two thousand years before."

"You won't hold a grudge over what happened thousands of years ago to someone you will never know, right Papa?"

"Let's us be honest here, what I could infer is that we can't really understand each others' feelings in this matter, at least for now," said Jiji as he rubbed his head looking uncomfortable with how things are going on. "I would say to you about Caesar and Loggins, but they would be nothing but mere names to you as you never knew them personally. We could say something about Jonathan and George Joestar, your ancestors, but then you will retort that the one who was responsible for their deaths is none other than Dio Brando the Vampire instead of the Pillar Men as a whole."

"That's why, once we are certain how to undo Jozuma's blood-sealed contract without killing him, we will dispose of the Pillar Woman as soon as possible," said great-grandmother sternly.

"But... G..."

"In my opinion, it would be kinder for us to kill the Pillar Woman in a relatively peaceful way so she could continue with her cycle of reincarnation. She would be judged according to the karma she accumulated in this life and this phase of her life will end," said great-grandmother sternly. "Of course that would mean that you all may never see her again, but this would be the best."

"Why would you say that?"

"I think you were Christian?"

"Don't look at me that way, I was raised in Tibet back then when Master Tonpetty was still alive," great-grandmother tried to explain her logic, but even she can't stand looking at the three of us looking at her with tearful eyes. "Stop looking at me like that, especially you, Lala..."

"Nobody wants to lose their friend, mother," said Jiji as he looks back to us. "And consider that your great-grandmother here dedicated forty-seven years of her life looking for the Fifth Pillar Man to prevent the tragedy from happening ever again, I must admit that this is a kind of an anticlimax ending for all her efforts. After all, she turned down the chance to marry again and choose to continue her dedication to protecting humanity from the possible threat of the Pillar Men."

"Wait, she's already fifty when you fought the Pillar Men, right? What kind of idiot wants to marry an old hag like her at... OUCH!"

"I never thought that your grandson would not only share your younger self's look but also share your demeanor with you, Joseph..." said great-grandmother in irritation while folding her scarf back after she slammed my head with that.

"Hey, that's not my fault, you are old already, even if you weren't my mother, I think being already sixty if you accept his proposal, that would mean you scammed that poor Hollywood screenwriter fifteen years your junior... OUCH!" said Jiji as the scarf-rod hit his head.

"That was partially your fault for neglecting your Hamon training that an old woman like me must keep myself looking for potential threats against humanity, all while her son enjoys himself playing with his oh-so-important real estate business, neglecting his own training in the process!" said great-grandmother while looking at Jiji with her stare of disapproval.

"Hey Darkness, do you think Jojo and your father's expression are way too similar?" whispered Megumin to Darkness.

"Eh Really? Never noticed that before, but you're right..." said Darkness.

"Is that photo...?"

"Yes, that's Papa when he's younger."

"No wonder that old lady said he looks like Jozuma right now."

"Excuse me Coach Lisa Lisa, but last time I checked, I was the one who personally dealt with four Pillar Men already. It was only natural for me to give you the share of work instead of hogging all things regarding Pillar Men," said Jiji indignantly.

"For a time, you were the expected heir to the Hamon tradition, even Speedwagon himself knew about that and never force you to become the CEO at the first place! What will your own grandfather Jonathan Joestar said if he knew you neglecting your duty like that?"

"My grandfather will understand that someone needs to take care of the finances! Without I personally took control of the Speedwagon Foundation and expanding the Joestar Holdings into proper Joestar Organization in real estate business, our family would stay as the family of millionaire instead of billionaire today! Your plan to simply put everything into a Trust Fund and keep working hard on Hamon training is the nonsense one!"

I can't help but agree with Jiji, as I subconsciously nod my head at his statement, somebody does need to take care of the finances, after all.

"Hey Darkness, isn't your father seems too much like Jozuma regarding money?" said Megumin to Darkness.

"Ummm... Maybe?" answered Darkness with an awkward look on her face.

"You ungrateful disciple of mine! Before Lalatina was born and showing her talent in Hamon, I thought that the arts of Hamon in our family will eventually die out with me!"

"The fact is I already gave you my proper replacement, and that's all that matters now. In fact, it wasn't like I totally forgot about the arts of Hamon anyway. As you can see, I still have my entire moves with me and could still hold myself against Lalatina!" said Jiji as he scrunched his nose.

"Yep, that is what Jozuma will do, isn't that right Jojo?" said Megumin as she looks toward me.

"Don't look at me like that," I answered Megumin before asking Jiji the question that I want to confirm all along, especially with how Darkness ends up eagerly picking on those Hamon arts, so it must be something. "Isn't Hamon training was strict and painful like some sort of prolonged torture?"

Jiji's knowing look basically confirms it for me.

"Of course Jozuma and coach Lisa Lisa is one hell of a killer teacher, you know that both of us..." said Jiji.

"Both of us hate the phrase 'Hard Work' the most, and our second most hated is 'Work Hard'!" I said the statement simultaneously with Jiji as we end up our little performance with a laugh and high-five while great-grandmother messaging her temple.

"Come on Joseph, made you turned out like this? What will Caesar said if he found Jojo neglecting his Hamon training in favor of being lazy?" said great-grandmother as she closed her eyes.

"I neglect my what? Training?" I said in confusion. "But I never trained Hamon in the first place?"

"Hey, don't say anything about Caesar like that! I admit that I do lack his sheer dedication but... And Jozuma, I was also called 'Jojo' back in my younger days, I only told my mother to specifically not call me that because it will cause confusion as Holly calls you with the same nickname here."

"Pssst, hey Darkness, as your father to share the 'Jojo' nickname, his younger looks, demeanor, business sense, and even down to identical laziness with Jozuma, do you think that your father is also one big pervert like him? Like stealing panties, inappropriately touching girls around him, and regularly doling out sexual harassment?" whispered Megumin toward Darkness but every one of us hears that as the situation suddenly goes silent and temperature of this room dropped several degrees of Celsius.

"H... Hey! Don't talk about my Papa like that! That was just a baseless accusation, right Papa? You always said that you love only Mama until the day you die, right?"

"What? What are you talking about, little miss? I... I don't... Come on, I definitely don't share that kind of attitude! I am a married man and um... I am a married man who values my family life. And as a man of the Joestar family, I have only one woman in my whole life that is my wife, Holly and Lalatina's mother, Jozuma's grandmother!" said Jiji but from Whitesnake's eyes, I could see that there are some tiny beads of sweat formed at Jiji's forehead.

Well, that's interesting, but maybe that was my own over-active imagination and Jiji just sweats in shock over Megumin's sheer baseless accusation. Of course, my great-grandmother, Darkness, and even my mother all look toward Megumin with disapproval in their eyes for an obvious reason, causing her to just look down in shame over her presumption.

"Anyway, let's back to the matter at hand regarding the Pillar Woman," said Jiji in a serious tone as he wiped the sweat out of his forehead. "We understand that we can't exactly decide her fate like this... killing her might end up endangering Jozuma's life as well, but seeing that she could be isolated as her pillar form without harming Jozuma either, I'd said the best way, for now, is to keeping her in her sealed form like this until we reach proper conclusion about her and her blood-sealed Youkai contract with Jozuma."

"But Jiji, you won't kill her right?"

"Honestly Jozuma, after hearing your side of the story, I am somewhat inclined to believe in you, but considering the risk that if she knows about what I have done, she might end up carving a bloody path of rampage against me sooner or later. Even if she won't harm you, Holly, and Lalatina, she might end up causing enough collateral damages as Pillar Men were known for that."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Considering that a Pillar Man's path of rampage might end up with her spawning Vampires and kill countless innocents..." said great-grandmother.

"Just give us time to mull our options first, and yes, like it or not, removing your blood-sealed contract and disposing her would still be considered, as last time I tried to befriend a Pillar Man, he killed the entirety of a research facility in Mexico, leaving myself, Speedwagon, and Von Stroheim as the survivors and the latest ended up as a cyborg anyway after sacrificing himself to stop Santana, so..."

"But Aqua is our friend, she will be pissed, but as long as she is content with how things turned out, she won't go and actively hunt you..."

*GROOOWLLL*

Listening to the story and arguing about Aqua's fate made me and Megumin forgets that we didn't eat anything from midday, and this is almost midnight, and even the others are unlikely to already eat dinner, so...

"Oh well... it seems that we already held you for too long without anything to eat..." said Jiji as he scratches his hair. "Holly, order some food for all of us!"

"Alright Papa!" said my mother as she scampered toward the telephone again.

...

"Anyway Jozuma, could you return Magician's Red back to Avdol? I meant, just look at him, he just looking over his former master with that longing eyes, if it going for too long, that bird-man might cry," said Jiji as he points out toward said muscular bird-man who indeed hovering around the black man called Avdol, and I do remember that Avdol said something about how he felt mutilated, and Jiji gave him his prosthetic arm anyway, so...

"Mr. Joestar, if you still need my stand, I..."

"I know that I could trust my grandson here as I could relate to him," said Jiji boldly as he waved for Whitesnake to come closer to him.

"Excuse me then, Jiji. This might be painful or something, I didn't really know about it, so..." I said as Whitesnake placed his hand around Jiji's head, but much to my surprise, I could already feel the edge of said disc, as if it could be taken off rather easily.

"Just do it Jozuma, I could feel the stand want to go back to Avdol as he was born with it until you rip him off from his master."

I carefully pull out that stand disc and said muscular bird-man disappeared. Unlike when I first ripped him off Avdol's head, however, Jiji did wince, but he seems to not losing his consciousness at all.

"Pardon me, Avdol," I said as Whitesnake re-inserted the stand disc into Avdol's head, and suddenly, said muscular bird-man appears again, this time from Avdol's body.

"How insidious..." Avdol whispers as he could only stare toward Whitesnake as he hovers in front of his face.

"Anyway there's some pain but it was surprisingly bearable... Wait a minute, if you already take Magician's Red off my head... why I could still see both stands? You said before that only a stand user could see another stand, right Avdol?"

"I... I'm not sure, I look at your grandson's stand and I am honestly frightened by his insidious ability to rob someone of his own stand. A stand was supposed to be the reflection of their user's nature and soul, so... to steal someone else's stand would mean he is someone willing to rip apart somebody else's soul."

"But..." said Jiji as my stand abilities suddenly dawned at him, since his face seems to frown again. "But how I could still see both Magician's Red and... Oi Jozuma, you call your stand 'Whitesnake' yes?"

"Yeah, I named him myself, that was just cross my mind when I first see him ambushed this man."

"Wait a moment here, aside from Mr. Joestar is there someone else who could see the two stands here?" said Avdol, but nobody seems to be aware of them, except...

"But we do could sense their energy with Hamon, just like before," said Darkness.

"I said see, as if you looking at the silhouette of them visually, not sensing them," said Avdol calmly.

"Hamon could be used to sense the energy emanated from the stands, but it was more akin to hearing instead of seeing," said great-grandmother. "But as far as I concerned, I can't see the stands here."

"Me too..." said Darkness as Avdol looks toward my mother.

"Lady Holly, you can't see anything about this stands, right?" said Avdol as he points out toward Magician's Red and Whitesnake.

"No, I can't see anything..."

"Good then, because that means what you have maybe just a residue of the stand powers left, Mr. Joestar."

"Is that was a bad thing?" said Jiji as he scratches his head.

"Having a stand could be harmful to those who didn't have the mental strength to wield it. Stands are controlled by the user's spirit; someone with high enough determination, fighting spirit, and or unfortunately, violent tendencies could harness the power of the stand, but someone who is too naive and sweet to fight back will found having a stand to actively harm them instead."

"But why you are saying this? Jozuma has proven that he already has enough fighting spirit to control his own stand, yes?" said Jiji as he scratched his head.

"The problem is, if you, yes, I meant about you Mr. Joestar, suddenly develop your stand power, all of your existing descendants would be affected by it, save Jozuma who already has a stand at the first place."

"What?"

"Your body is a link between you and your children, Mr. Joestar. You are connected by invisible rope to your existing descendants, so if your stand power were to be awakened, your currently existing daughters would be affected as well," said Avdol in a serious manner. "I have seen a few people die from their own stands because they lack the fighting spirit and or determination to control it."

"So... you meant..." said Jiji as he looks toward my mother.

"While I am certain that in case your stand power awakened, Lady Lalatina would have enough mental strength to bear having a stand, the same thing could not be said to Lady Holly, I'm afraid..."

"But that means in case my mother develops a stand on her own, and she cannot withstand having it at the first place, I just need to extract the stand disc out of her head and she would be fine again, yes?" I just want to point out the obvious.

"But that means you're mutilating..."

"Ah, I understand, you do felt that as mutilation because you were born with your stand Avdol," said Jiji with a smile as he took back his prosthetic hand. "Jozuma's power is only too convenient in that regard, and seeing that I could actually wield your stand at the first place."

"That was why I said your grandson's stand as an insidious one; his powers seem to spit upon the natural law as we understood. To rip away and steal..."

"So basically Jozuma has his stealing power back then," said Megumin to Darkness. "So how to awake my own stand? I want my Explosion back too!"

"I do miss my super durability and strength as well Megumin, but why did Jozuma get all the good stuff first?" whispered Darkness.

"And now I understand the true reason why you end up literally sinking your claws into the Hell Climb Pillar and hardening your body instead of using concentrated Hamon to climb up then Lala," great-grandmother shook her head. "You will re-take your test and clawing your way out of the Pillar won't be permitted this time miss."

"Heh, that's why I don't really believe my daughter could manage to climb the pillar much faster than myself back then," said Jiji with a smirk. "Now if I have the strength to simply sink my fingers into the stone."

"Anyway, could you steal something else then stands?" said Megumin as she looks toward me.

"Oh? I never try but... maybe..."

"Jozuma! Jozuma! Steal my panty please!" said Darkness in way too eager tone.

"OH NO! LALATINA WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" said Jiji while great-grandmother has an equally horrified expression on her face.

"No thanks, it would be awkward if I turned your panty into a disc, and I would not ask where to insert the said disc to wear your panty back."

"OH SHIT! JOZUMA STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT WITH YOUR AUNT!"

"But at least we could know if that disc could be inserted in... mfff mfff mfff!" said Darkness but great-grandmother forcibly put her hand to cover Darkness' mouth.

"Why the Gods feel fit to reincarnate the two of you in this awkward familial relationship?" great-grandmother grumbled as Jiji keep wincing, apparently he already imagined the next words Darkness would utter anyway...

Anyway, maybe I should try my panty-stealing ability next day at school instead of here, stealing my own aunt's underwear might drive Jiji and great-grandmother mad after all, while trying to steal Megumin's panty might end up with Yoshikage-san being mad at me.

"Anyway Jozuma, I used to think that stands should have a proper name. I am a fortune teller, so..." said Avdol as he opened a set of Tarot cards face down in front of me.

"But I already named my stand, his name is Whitesnake."

"Yet every stands that I knew that was named properly have some correlation with the Tarot deck," said Avdol rather confidently.

"Come to think about it Jozuma, that annoying pinkie who had the same ghost power said that his ghost's name is 'Hierophant Green', so..." said Megumin.

"You're not helping Megumin! Whitesnake is cool enough name! I don't care about those Tarot things or something like that!"

"Avdol is the utmost authority on stand research, Jozuma, at least you should try what he said," Jiji mentioned as he continues to look toward Whitesnake. "Your stand is obviously not a snake, but something sinister looking so..."

"Alright! Alright! Fine!" I draw a card from the set of Tarot cards provided by Avdol and...

"What do you get?" said Avdol as he looks toward the card in my hand.

"Upside down Star?" I scrunched my face as I look toward the card.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Your stand is the personification of despair, negativity, loss of faith, and also fear... I must say that this would be a perfect fit for your stand, the ability to steal away other stand did bring despair to those who lost them, I could see your stand is full of suppressed negative emotions which to be lashed upon unsuspecting victims, while the loss of faith means that you almost break with your family tradition, like it or not..." said Avdol.

"Hey! Why are you saying that as if I was the villain or something!"

"And fear, your stand is indeed something to be feared for his insidious nature, as ripping off what is part of somebody's soul would be the cruelest ability I ever met..." said Avdol as he shook his head in disbelief. "I suggest naming your stand as 'Pale Star' or something like that, in the light of..."

"I'll keep the Whitesnake name, thank you," I said as Whitesnake literally hissed in front of Avdol's face. It seems that trusting such smug fortune-teller might not be the best way for me to go.

"Oh well, at least that's the difference between myself and my grandson, he's so full of negativity," said Jiji with a thoughtful look.

"That was ~amazing~ Jozuma," said Darkness, but I mentally close my ears over her rants.

"Why don't you try to name it something positive, it was predominantly white and still have the certain shine to it, why not 'Star Platinum' Avdol?" said Jiji.

"Come on Jiji, screw that Tarot reading, my stand's name is Whitesnake!"

...

After the very late dinner, we look toward the ruined part of my house where Megumin should asleep (that now has no walls to speak of), and how the earlier fight basically ransacked most of the guest room sections of the house. And the room that was left whole aside of my own room, my parents', and a guest room that was used as furniture storage room would be old dusty rooms that were never used in twenty plus years anyway, so...

"Well, I'll call the construction workers available at Speedwagon Foundation tomorrow, and as Jozuma's Youkai contract did specify that she was supposed to stay here unless expressly given permission, I think I would build her containment room here as well," said Jiji as he surveys the ruin that was formerly part of my house.

Anyway, Jiji and great-grandmother already moved Aqua into the said guestroom, and great-grandmother said she would stay there to ensure she would not suddenly awaken and going on a rampage, or so they said. I told them that she would be better put inside my room, but then great-grandmother threatened to Hamon overdrive and destroy her if I don't obey her words.

"Well Jojo, you would be generous enough to let us stay in your room for the night, right?" said Megumin sweetly as she and Darkness end up bringing their futon into my room.

"Just like the old days' aren't we? Sure, why not? I said as I entered my room to sleep, but before I could close the door, something suddenly grabs my neck.

"OH MY GOD! What are you thinking Jozuma! You're sleeping with us men in the living room!" said Jiji as he dragged me out of my own room. "And Lalatina, you should not wear that kind of sleepwear you, missy!"

Great-grandmother appears and dragged Darkness out of my room, apparently to make sure she wears a proper pajama instead of that revealing negligee.

"But that's my own room Jiji! I swear we won't do anything!"

"I don't care, you're sleeping with me! Not with Lalatina!"

"Okay..." I could only sigh as Jiji literally drag and throw me into the living room. All while thinking on what would happen if either Megumin or Darkness stumbled upon my stash of porn?

Oh well, at least we ensured Aqua would not be harmed by those old Hamon using farts, right?


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 - Stealing panties never been this hard**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 7 April 1986**

 _Forenote : Edited per 28/8/18 after suggestions of my beta-reader about pacing of the story and grammar fixes._

"And as predicted, a stone mask," said great-grandmother as she held the freshly dug mask. "Thank you for your divination, Avdol, that really helps us."

"It was my pleasure to help, Lady Elizabeth," said Avdol politely as he keeps looking into the fire generated by the muscular bird-man at his side. "There might be others at the edge of the pool."

"You hear that Lalatina, start digging!" said Jiji, grabbing his sledgehammer. With a mighty swing, he bashed that stone mask over and over.

*SLAM* *SLAM* *SLAM*

Jiji pounded the mask until it was an unrecognizable pile of crushed rock. As Jiji already explained, the stone masks are the tool to create vampires, It was only prudent to destroy the stone masks first, and handle house repairs later.

I tried my best not to retort sarcastically about their potential monetary value, because in my opinion, simply selling them to a museum would net us a couple million of dollars. Sure, the security issues would be still there, but those masks are still thousands of years old archeological treasure, and they still ultimately belongs to Aqua. And nobody could simply get off with wasting Aqua's money, even if that was only a potential one.

I winced as my head starts imagining Aqua's rant over the destruction of her properties as soon as she realizes their potential monetary value in this world. She would try to kill the old Hamon users with her long-winded, overly whiny rant before she sues them and Speedwagon Foundation for an outrageous amount of compensation.

...

Anyway, my feeble attempt to get a free day off by claiming I haven't recovered from my Saturday fight earned me a mean look from great-grandmother even as my mother almost end up indulging my wish.

Even as Jiji seems to agree with me that school was a pain in the ass, he still ends up as a billionaire despite being expelled from high school. He almost said something about how in his younger days he often ends up in fights, but my mother muffled him halfway before he could finish his story as if that was something no teenager should hear about.

Not that I want to be seen as a delinquent, like whatever Jiji had in his youth. I am not inclined to style my hair in a pompadour or act aloo and impolite like some stoic jock who will even call his own mother 'a bitch'.

"Bye-bye! Be careful Jojo, Megumin-chan!" said my mother as we move towards the gate to walk towards the school.

Well, at least some degree of normalcy has been returned somewhat after yesterday's chaos.

We take a long look toward the room where stone-Aqua is currently being held and decides to just keep walking. Both I understand that Jiji would keep his words on not killing Aqua, and maybe that's for the best, so...

...

We arrived at school, but before I entered our classroom, I stopped to summoned Whitesnake at my side, as I wonder about how much I could send Whitesnake away ahead of me.

"What are you doing Jojo?" said Megumin as she notices how I suddenly stopped and looking at my own stand, wait, she can't see stands right?

"Summoning Whitesnake, I wonder what else he could steal," I said as I look toward some of my female schoolmates and wonder, what if I use Whitesnake to steal panties? But then I need to confirm if anybody else at school could see my stand, or I would end up in trouble, so...

"Jojo, why are you grinning like that?" said Megumin accusingly as she stands in front of me, startling me from my overly active imagination.

"Yesterday you ask if my stand could steal anything other than stands, right?" I replied with a wicked grin and my previous 'steal' hand gesture. "Don't worry; I won't target your panties, ehehehehe."

Megumin only looks at me unamusedly as she shook her head and grabs her skirt to make sure her panty is still there.

"I want to rescind my words yesterday, but as my eyes already seen the dark determination burning in your eyes. Trying to deny you your trashy nature would be an exercise in futility here," said Megumin dejectedly. "Just remember that you owe me once this time, and if we found something that could bring back my Explosion magic, you will help me getting that."

"Eh, sure..." I said absentmindedly as I looked at our female classmates and wondering who will get the lucky draw.

"Just once today, and try to not causing a big ruckus, understand?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever..."

We continue to walk to our classroom with Whitesnake stay out of the classroom until we sat on our respective desks. After five minutes or so, Whitesnake walked into the class like a boss and as predicted, nobody in my class even noticed Whitesnake, save a certain pink haired demon boy, which grew tense as he summoned his green ghost to his side.

I could see that green ghost more clearly now, and instead of being the green-transparent thing I remembered before, that should be better called as humanoid cantaloupe.

"Oh wow, your face is already healed, Kujo-san?" said one of my male classmate while Whitesnake looked for potential victims.

Not like that pink demon boy could do anything anyway; one weird move and everybody here may actually end up going against him, as he was the one with 'demon boy' label and not me.

"Yeah, I'm good, that pinkie shit can't do anything against me anyways," I said smugly as I looked toward said pinkie, which seems to not paid me any attention.

"Your fight with that demon boy frightened us, Jojo," said one of the girls.

"Nah, don't worry about me, I'm a tough guy," I smirked as the class went silent with our homeroom teacher's arrival.

Said homeroom teacher, Hinamori-sensei, seem to be both pretty and harmless enough. Oh well, as Megumin already gave me permission to steal one pair of panties from the girls, why not looking if Hinamori-sensei's panty is worth stealing?

After the customary standing and exchanging of bows, I sent Whitesnake to walk toward the Hinamori-sensei's desk, but then I soon noticed that the green ghost end up walking toward Whitesnake as well.

I smirked as I realized that the friendless pinkie boy wants to play hero now, maybe I could make this far more interesting...

As Whitesnake put his hand around Hinamori-sensei' butt, I feel her soft behind. Sure, she didn't really notice that, but that pinkie boy seems to see this and...

"Sensei! Watch out, there's someone groping your butt!" said the pinkie boy as he stands from his desk to warn Hinamori-sensei of Whitesnake's presence.

"What did you say Kakyoin-kun?" said Hinamori-sensei as she looks behind her and reflexively put her hands on her behind, but she can neither see nor touch Whitesnake even as he practically looks directly in front of her face up close. "You better not making things up again today."

I mentally command Whitesnake, that I could see through his eyes, to simply ignore the green ghost and laid himself on the floor, looking up nonchalantly into Hinamori-sensei's upskirt, and reveal the pink pair of panties.

Ah yes, having a stand is definitely the best thing ever happened to me, now if only this happened in 201X so I will always have a camera-capable cell phone at hands to capture the upskirt moment.

"That's disgusting... How could..." muttered the pinkie boy as he seems to be frozen in place looking at how nonchalantly Whitesnake act, his own green ghost seems to be in the equal state of shock, even if said being's mask should logically stop him from emoting his emotions.

"What did you say Kakyoin-Kun?" said Hinamori-sensei, oblivious that I just look at her upskirt with Whitesnake.

"Nothing Hinamori-sensei, you won't believe me anyway," said the pinkie boy as he sighed and doing nothing about that. Oh well, that was rather anticlimactic.

Without any kind of reaction other than verbal condemnation, I quickly lost the interest to do some naughty things and decides to just made Whitesnake walk out of the classroom on his own. I noticed that as Whitesnake walked out, so does the green ghost owned by the pinkie.

Well, let's go to the girls' changing room and see what we can see.

...

Back in the class, I steal a glance toward the pinkie boy, and I could see his face scrunched in disapproval. Come on, what are you, gay or something? Aren't you doing the very same thing that I do right now with your own green ghost?

Well, apparently not as that green ghost refuses to enter the girls' changing room while Whitesnake already entered and feast our eyes upon girls in their underwear, preparing for their next gym class.

That wasn't long, however, as it seems Whitesnake come rather late to the show as they soon finished their changing routine and move out of the changing room. But at least, it is time to rummage upon their locker and steal their underwears the old-fashioned way, as it would be unlikely for that green ghost to intervene after...

"Stop right there you scum, this is unforgivable! How low can you get before you stop?" said the green ghost, and for a while, I was taken aback that apparently you could actually speak using your stand, but eh, that should be easy to guess.

"Uh... Hello Green Ghost?" I tried to make Whitesnake speak, but then I realized that Whitesnake's voice is nigh-identical with my own. Oops.

"Wait a minute, I recognize that voice..." said the green ghost as his hand glows.

"Uh-oh."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"EMERALD SPLASH!"

...

"Hey! I am not attacking you dammit, I'll share the loot with you if you want," I said through Whitesnake as I barely dodge the attack, which leaves a big crater at the wall.

"I swear I will bring you to justice!" said the green ghost while his legs turned into some sort of long stringy tentacles, and as I dodge another 'Emerald Splash' of him, I could see that his real plan is to entangle me with his tentacle-like things.

"Playing hero, aren't you?" I said while Whitesnake moves past the half-made barricade, but much to my surprise, Whitesnake's left leg get entangled by one of the tentacles and...

Crap, I just realized that whatever damage Whitesnake got (and maybe vice versa) would be reflected on my real self, as I notice that my left leg has a rather nasty grip mark that I could feel through my trousers. Thankfully, that pinkie seems to focus his sight outside the window and maybe thinking that Whitesnake was controlled by an outsider.

"You will never run away, scum!" said the green ghost as his hands glow again, but this time, I realized that if he could have a ranged attack maybe...

I know it was a dick move, but I simply use Whitesnake to spit on said green ghost's face.

*SPLAT*

"AAAH!" screamed the pinkie boy as both he and the green ghost falls to the ground. Sure, the entire class now end up noticing Kakyoin as he ends up thrashing around and screams. "GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Kakyoin-kun, what's wrong?!" said Hinamori-sensei as she runs towards the fallen pinkie while at the same time, that simple spitting trick seems to cause the green ghost to flail mindlessly against empty air as if said spit actually mess with their perception.

Oh well, I lost my interest in stealing panties after this fight, so I simply command Whitesnake to jump out of the door and walk back into the class. But before I could sigh in relief, the green ghost seems to already recover from the confusion and start chasing Whitesnake.

"Come here and face your justice like a man, you lowest of scum!" said the green ghost as he now literally flies toward Whitesnake, his feet gone and replaced by a long, snake-like appendage.

Uh crap, how to end this fight before we start to do too much collateral damages?


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 - I, Villain**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 7 April 1986**

The green ghost morphed his right arm into tentacles and whipped them against Whitesnake's position. Whitesnake barely dodged the attack, but one of the tentacles slashed his right arm, and I winced in pain as my right arm felt a nasty sting. I looked towards my own arm and blood starts seeping from the inside of my gakuran.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Shit, if this keeps going on, somebody will bound to notice this...

Before I could do anything, a series of flying gemstone like projectiles already heading towards Whitesnake's position, forcing him to move at the left and end up grabbed by another series of tentacles upon his body, but thankfully, my real body could lean against the wall and I didn't end up making a scene in the class, even as this position is still very painful as the green ghost tied his tentacles around Whitesnake's body tighter and tighter.

I notice the pinkie himself starts to rise up from the floor, much to the class' confusion.

Before anyone could notice my awkward position, I used all of Whitesnake's strength to yank said tentacles closer and decked the green ghost with Whitesnake's free hand across his face.

"KAKYOIN-KUN!" said Hinamori-sensei as the pinkie end up violently jerked to the side.

Said green ghost retaliated with a sudden kick to Whitesnake's stomach, and if not for the fact that I managed to grab my desk, I would be the one falling on the floor in pain.

It seems Megumin already notices something is off as she looks towards me with concern on her face, even as I tried to hide my bleeding right arm under the desk.

"Jojo, what are you doing?" whispered Megumin.

"Uh... accident..." I tried to not make a ruckus as Whitesnake reflexively resorts to spitting upon that green ghost's face, to distract him again at least.

"Jojo, you don't say..." said Megumin as she looks toward the pinkie's direction, but as Whitesnake's rather copious spit come in contact with the green ghost's face.

*SPLAT*

"AAARGH! AAARGH!" screamed the Pinkie as he ends up falling and thrashing on the floor again while that green ghost now claws on his own face.

"KAKYOIN-KUN!" said Hinamori-sensei as she runs towards the fallen form of the Pinkie.

"What have you done?" questioned Megumin.

"Sssh..." I shushed Megumin as Whitesnake managed to run into the classroom while both the green ghost and his pinkie user claw their own face as if they are too disgusted with Whitesnake's spit.

That's not my fault if that pinkie turned out to be some sort of health freak or something, but now I wonder what is in Whitesnake's spit that causes that Pinkie to act like that every time Whitesnake spat upon that green ghost's face. Maybe Whitesnake's spit smells really bad or something?

I reflexively breathe upon my hand and smell my breath; nothing seems to be wrong, so maybe it was my stand that has the urgent need to brush his teeth? But considering stands were the projection of the user's nature and soul.

Wait a moment, does that means Whitesnake is really the weaponized projection of my trashy nature?

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

I shook my heads, deeming that I could keep philosophical thinking for later, as my only chance to get out of this mess unscathed would be literally knocking out the Pinkie before he could notice my wounds and connect the dots.

"Somebody, help me carry Kakyoin-kun to the Medical Room, something is wrong here!" said Hinamori-sensei as some of my male classmates start walking and trying to pry the Pinkie out of his position at the floor.

Much to my relief, that pinkie seems to be frightened over Hinamori-sensei and others attempt to help him, as the pinkie crawled out of their way and soon found himself resting at the corner like a madman.

"GET OFF FROM ME! GET OFF! GET OFF!" screamed the Pinkie as he literally cowers at the corner, of course, his eyes looked at the Whitesnake most of the time, and the frozen terror in his face tells everything I need to know.

Well, time to knock that pinkie out...

"ORA!" said Whitesnake as he kicked the pinkie's head with all his might, and sooner than later, the pinkie ceased to move as he falls unconscious.

That shall teach him the lesson.

I smirked as everyone else wonders on what just happened as they can't see the stands involved.

"Did you just kill that Pinkie?" whispered Megumin with a hushed tone as we look toward the unmoving form of said pinkie boy being carried outside towards the medical room.

"He's still breathing, he would be fine," I said after Whitesnake confirms that, yes, that Pinkie was only knocked out instead of being outright killed, even if I must admit that my method of subduing him was way too brutal.

...

With the exception of myself, and maybe Megumin, the entire floor (and maybe entire school) was puzzled about the sudden 'gas explosion' at the girls' changing room, and how that demon boy Kakyoin suddenly acting funny and end up knocked out with sudden bruises formed at his head.

There's also the fact that his face turned red with blistering rashes at some place, and as I see it, I reflexively understand that Whitesnake's spit must be either venomous or acidic in nature. That explained that pinkie's seemingly overblown reaction from being 'simply' spat upon.

So the name [WHITESNAKE] turns out to be really a very fitting name for my stand.

"I thought I already told you that I permit you to steal a pair of panties today, but it seems you prefer to get into a fight instead," said Megumin as she rolls her eyes.

"Can I steal that now?" I smirked.

"No, and that's final, you already caused such a big ruckus today," said Megumin as she shook her head. "The explosion at the girls' changing room was your doing, right?"

"Well actually..." I said while telling Megumin the real story, unseen by most except the stand users.

"Eeeh? That pinkie's stand could cause such 'Explosion'?" Megumin practically squees as I said something about that green ghost's 'Emerald Splash' attack that destroyed the parts of girls' changing room in something resembling explosion, roughly, even as it was more about kinetic impact or something.

"I imagine you would deem that as 'false explosion' or something like you said about the dynamite I invent back then."

"But please! I really miss my Explosion and onii-sama did not permit me to bought more firecrackers after I accidentally blasted the old gardening shed at my house, and before that, the garage door."

"Wait, what?"

"That was back then when I'm still at elementary school..."

"You know, that worried me a lot of your mental health, considering you actually live in my house."

Megumin actually seems to took that as a compliment as she blushes and smiles at that accusation of her being too explosion-happy. Should have known that, and I pity Yoshikage-san even more.

"Stop smiling, that wasn't a compliment!" I said as I pulled Megumin's cheeks.

"But Jozuma... You could steal stands, right? Why not you try stealing that pinkie's stand so I could try using that? I missed having explosion magic!"

"What?"

"You promised me that you will help me regain my Explosion magic earlier!"

"Eh... But..."

"I will only permit you to steal more panties after you help me procure some sort of Explosion spell."

"Alright alright..."

...

Lunch break comes, and after we finished eating our lunch, we look for said unconscious pinkie, that still resides in the Medical Room anyway.

All we need is just walk our way to Medical Room's door, and as we peek inside there's only one nurse attending, and she seems to still focus on reading something. We spotted the pinkie, and he seems to still fall asleep, unaware of what will happen to him next.

"What are you waiting for?" said Megumin as she looked towards me; I sighed as I have a very bad feeling about this.

"Well, but promise me you will only test them once we back at my home, understand? I don't want you to end up wrecking our school."

Megumin just enthusiastically nods her head, and I understand there will be no going back for now.

Whitesnake walks into the Medical Room through the conveniently opened door and placed his head on the pinkie's head. As the nurse wasn't really looking, after some time concentrating, Whitesnake already pulled two discs out of the Pinkie's head.

Megumin seems to notice the pair of disc carried by Whitesnake and trying to take them. Knowing exactly how this may end up in disaster, I decided to just tuck the two discs inside my own coat pocket. I could see one of the discs has that green ghost with words [HIEROPHANT GREEN] printed on top of it, while the other disc has the face of that annoying pinkie.

I involuntarily glanced upon said pinkie's memory disc, and I was shocked to see a sad scene of a smaller version of him standing alone what should be a playground of an elementary school, far away from other kids, with only said green ghost standing at his side.

"Uh..." I closed my eyes as another sad scene flashes in my eyes, with the younger version of that pinkie being jeered by a group of children, calling him as 'Demon boy' over and over.

"What's wrong Jojo?" said Megumin as she looking towards the discs in my hand, but it seems that she was taken aback as she looks toward the disc with that pinkie's face upon that.

"Wait, you could see..."

"That disc with that pinkie's face gave me flashes... is that..."

"Well, from what happened to Avdol yesterday, it seems that this is his memories..."

"What are you planning to do with..." said Megumin.

Looking at this, I must admit that the content of the Pinkie's memory disc intrigued me, so we walked upstairs toward a rather secluded place on the rooftop.

"I want to try something, I understand that this disc could be inserted into someone's head, but what if..." I put the disc containing the pinkie's memories inside my own head, and...

...

I saw that Kakyoin Noriaki, that pinkie's name, is actually closer to a male version of Yunyun rather than some sort of arrogant honor student I perceived him as, initially.

When he was younger, he had difficulty making friends due to the fact that he felt no one could understand him. No one he met could see his stand, Hierophant Green, and everybody was frightened for what they perceive as either ghost or evil spirit. Not that he not trying his best to remedy that, but it seems that everyone else seen him as the weird boy who likes to talk about his so-called 'imaginary friend' that turned out to be not-too-imaginary after all.

I see from his jumbled up memories, that one day when said pinkie was still at elementary school, he used Hierophant Green to snoop when one of his teachers called his mother to school. His teacher told his mother that none of the other children actually disliked Kakyoin but that he was unapproachable and just didn't seem to want to make any friends. His mother, saddened, admitted that even she didn't know much about her own son or understand why he was so withdrawn. Kakyoin observed the children around him writing down the names of their friends and thought about how the people around him had someone who could understand them. He felt even his own parents had each other but that they would never be able to relate to him. This scene caused him to become an even more withdrawn individual who felt different from others. In his mind, he admitted himself that he is blunt and tends to freely speak his mind, but he just plain out doesn't understand things about other people.

In his middle school, he tried to stand out against some bullies when he being pushed around. He involuntarily used Hierophant Green to smack one of the bully, but this cause everyone to actually fears him over the perceived ghost or evil spirit that resides within him. He was mocked mercilessly by his classmate as the 'demon boy' that caused him to become further ostracized at his middle school. This alone forces him to pick up his current high school solely because he knew nobody in this new school.

...

The day when we first met was a particularly bad day for him. He started high school with high hopes, wishing to at least able to make some friends, and everything actually started out well with him being able to break his social awkwardness a bit.

He actually asked Hinamori-sensei at the morning on where he should pick his seat, and she said that as an honor student with the best entrance exam, he should try picking the desk closest to the teacher's desk and to the wall because honor students often pick that particular seating column.

Of course, he could never know that Megumin already picked the frontmost desk, but as Megumin was another honor student, he let her have her rights. But when I wanted to sit behind Megumin in the class, he genuinely thought that Hinamori-sensei's words are the rules and felt that the desk actually belongs to him as an honor student. Hell, I just realized that this pinkie actually memorized the entrance exam results of his class, and indeed, I am the one barely qualified while he is the one with the best result. Naturally, this pinkie initially sees me as a big dumb oaf and tried to frighten me using his Hierophant Green.

When I dodged Hierophant Green's swing, he actually tried to stop but due to mistaking the momentum, he still ends up smacking Megumin by accident. This frightened him as he never hit a girl before. He realizes that he has nobody to blame but himself for such reckless use of power.

What surprises me the most is that he actually be happy when I was revealed to be able to see his stand. He would be willing to just let it slide and fully prepared to apologize for his actions. Said happiness end up being short-lived as we end up retaliating violently, so much that he thought us as nothing more than a pair of delinquents.

Everything just went downhill after that point, up to and including being forced him to reveal his powers as he was intimidated by my sheer bulk. Megumin breaking her chair on top of his head only made things worse too.

As others thought the pinkie deliberately picking a fight against the 'small girl Kira-san', this plunged his reputation instantly in the mud and having his stand powers revealed to those who can't see made everyone jeer at him as 'demon boy' all over again. Deep down in his heart, he wanted nothing but to run away and cry, because again, nobody wants to befriend him after that...

...

Last Saturday, after thinking about how I could see his stand, he actually tried to make things up with me and Meguin to make a new fresh start. But I somehow end up answering his innocent call by calling him a coward, and from there another fight broke out between us, as his already problematic temper to flares. As that happened, his focus shifts from patching things up into making me to at least respect him.

The revelation that he did not start the fight with his full strength left a bad taste in my mouth. Kakyoin already knew about the full power of Emerald Splash, and the properties of his tentacles that could be made into a sharp whip, but he held back from using those attacks to limit the potential damages he could inflict upon me.

Only for me to keep egging him again and again, but he still tries to minimize the escalation instead of going in for the kill. Trying to drive me out with some bruises and minor humiliation because at this point, nobody tried to fight him after he shows them his supernatural powers.

My utter fearlessness surprises him the most, enough that I was able to grab his neck and choke the shit out of his neck. From his point of view, I am the one hell-bent on trying to kill him, and he finally let go of his self-imposed limit to brutally punch my head in an attempt to keep himself alive. It failed, of course, as a stand cannot operate at full power while their user was incapacitated in some kind.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Everything went black, and when he has awakened again, the teachers already called his parents as everyone now knew him having some sort of evil spirit inside of him. He was threatened with expulsion over violent behavior, and the Headmaster suggest him to visit a temple to have his evil spirit exorcised.

His parents bow down to the teachers and said they would schedule a visit to a temple to undergo the ritual of purification.

Yesterday actually gave him some sort of relief, as the Miko at the temple visited by his family actually confirms that whatever the mysterious being standing at his side, that was definitely not an evil spirit at all, but merely the projection of his own soul. While she never met anyone with such powers before, she knew another who works with such supernatural phenomenon and gave his parents contact of someone called Mr. Messina, that apparently works to an international organization dealing with supernatural phenomenon all around the world.

His parents actually bought this particular explanation, and let Kakyoin off with a warning to not get involved in a fight ever again.

Of course, that explains why he was very reluctant to start the fight this morning when I used Whitesnake to felt up Hinamori-sensei's butt and peek under her skirt. But when Whitesnake just nonchalantly enter the changing room and shamelessly rummaging on underwears afterward, his sense of righteousness demands something to be done.

Wait a moment, why he thought that as 'sense of righteousness', does that meant I was the villain?

Anyway, from Kakyoin's point of view, such things are blatant sexual harassment instead of some harmless fun, so he decides to confront the 'creepy sex-maniac ghost' to end his crime against women.

...

I wish I could simply apologize to him for what I have done, but as I keep 'reading' his memory disc in my head, he partially recognized my voice, and suspected me as the one behind this 'creepy sex-maniac ghost' as this would also neatly explain why I could see his Hierophant Green.

He knew that nobody will believe him without any solid proof, but to let the 'creepy sex-maniac ghost' get away with such 'heinous crime', he decides to just accept the consequence as long as he could protect women from insidious sexual predators like... me?

As I keep watching memories about the fight, I also realized what actually happened when Whitesnake spat upon Hierophant Green's face...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

As the spit splashed upon the green ghost's face, it stings for a little, but the more immediate effect was it fills Kakyoin's visions with images of undead and demons (all coming from Eris' realm so it appears that was coming from my own imagination). It seems that Whitesnake's spit has extreme hallucinogenic effects while still being acidic enough to melt human skin as Kakyoin's face turns red with blistering rashes.

Oh shit, as I remembered Avdol's remark that my stand feels particularly insidious with the cruelest ability he ever saw. It was associated with upside-down Star Tarot Card, symbolizes despair, negativity, loss of faith, and also fear. Holy crap, why did I end up having such cliche villainous powers in the first place?

Oh well...

I realized that Kakyoin's last thought before falling into unconsciousness as lamenting the fact that how could such evil went unpunished, and why nobody would believe him.

Ouch.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

"Jozuma, Jozuma..." said Megumin, shaking my shoulder, trying to pull me back to the real world.

"Jojo desu... Wait... I just can't take it anymore..." I used Whitesnake to pull Kakyoin's memory disc out from my head as the sheer gravity of the situations befalls upon me.

"What happened?"

"It seems that I am the villain here, after all..."

"Villain?"

"Mistakes upon mistakes, simple misunderstanding blown into this..." I shook my head in disbelief. "He even acknowledged he is the one to blame at the start, but I keep making things worse and worse."

"What..."

"We need to apologize to Kakyoin right now..." I put Kakyoin's memory disc back into my coat.

"But the Explosion magic..."

"Let's look for that somewhere else, I think I have crossed the line here."

"Huh..."

"I'll explain to you later..."

...

We walked back toward the Medical Room in attempt to meet with the poor, misunderstood pink haired boy Kakyoin, but as we arrive, the nurse just closed the wide doors, and we heard the sound of ambulance moving out at the distance.

We look at the nurse, and she basically explained to us that Kakyoin's parents already took him off to a hospital.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Holy shit, how to fix this before it keeps going worse and worse? And the very fact that said nurse didn't know their destination hospital.

As I spent long hours waiting for the school to end for today, I can't help but feels my guilt gnawing at my conscience.

What should I do now?


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 - Hearts did matter**  
 **Tokyo, Japan, 7 April 1986**

We walk out from the metro and continue walking toward our destination, The St. Luke Hospital, one of the largest, most comprehensive medical centers in Tokyo.

Sure, the school nurse didn't know where Kakyoin's parents brought him, but then we overheard the teachers saying something about 'Kakyoin' as we walked past them, and further snooping around Teacher's office turned out to be really easy when you have Whitesnake on board.

The plan is a simple one, get into the Hospital as Kakyoin's concerned classmates, put the two discs back into pinkie's head, apologize about our fights, and hope for the best.

Sure, today's events would be supremely awkward to be mentioned, but considering the circumstances, it was me who has gone too far and I do deserve taking a punch or two for that. Sure, he might end up hating me for that, but this is the last thing I could do to make amends with him.

The very fact that we are both stand users should not be discounted as well, as far as I knew from his memories, he never met with other stand users in his life, and deep down all he wanted is some friends who could understand him. I already have something in mind to make him loosen up, or so to speak, having a stand like that should be exploited to the fullest, and I have something in mind to 'enlighten' him with all the potential usages of our stands.

Sure, there's a chance that he might think me as an useless human trash, but then I could emulate Vanir and use the fact that I have literally read his mind to convince him to stop being such stuck-up righteous guy at the first place. I could use a good male friend-in-trashiness like Dust and Keith here, after all.

...

According to the receptionist, Kakyoin Noriaki is currently held in the Intensive Care Unit. We are permitted to look for him from the outside, but entering the unit proper is forbidden.

"I hope that pinkie's condition will turn out alright in the end," I said as we start walking across the hallway.

"If only you didn't insist to try stealing a pair of panties today..." Megumin pouts as she looks at the side.

"Dammit Megumin, you're the one who suggested to test my stand abilities first."

"I told you to do that silently, not something that somehow ends up with you sending that pinkie to the hospital!"

"Yeah, but at least we learned something about him today, and I also end up learning something about my own power..."

"Bet Aqua would be thrilled knowing you end up with the demonic power of mind-reading, just like Vanir."

"I'll just point out that she's now a man-eating demon, neither an Arch-Priest nor a Goddess, she doesn't have the right to complain."

"You're right..." said Megumin as she shook her head. "Our life has turned bizarre enough in this world after we found Aqua."

"Don't be so glum about that, I'm sure that somewhere down the line, you'll get your explosion back," I said while patting Megumin's head softly, a smile returned to her face. "Anyway, why can't I just try if my stealing abilities worked at your panties in the first place?"

Megumin reflexively grabs her skirt upon seeing my particular hand gesture in front of her face.

"Pick someone else! Like Darkness!"

"And have my grandfather curse me as Japanese pervert who sniffs at his auntie's panties?"

"I only said to steal her panties, not... Wait a moment, so that means you've sniffed at my panties back then?"

"Uh-oh..."

"And you said that you're just looking for some lost items when we caught you literally stick your head inside Darkness' dirty laundry back at the mansion!"

"Stop it Megumin! Darkness was actually being rather happy about it, remember?"

"Did your perversion know no bounds, trashzuma?"

"At least I am not a two-faced hypocrite when it comes to following my own instinct as a normal, healthy man."

Megumin just glares at me before she shook her head and muttered something about 'a pervert will always be a pervert' under her breath.

...

We stopped just after walking through the hallway that led us to the Intensive Care Unit. I immediately summon Whitesnake at my side as I took out the discs from my coat pocket.

Behind the glass window, there lies Kakyoin, still unconscious and hooked to some sort of life support machines. Sure, Avdol survives to have his discs taken out without even needing those, but who could blame Kakyoin's concerned parents anyway?

Whitesnake walks ahead of us, slipping into the room through the door (hope nobody else notices or there will be hell to explain how the doors suddenly opened all by itself). It seems that there are other patients inside, separated by curtains, but as most of them either asleep or unconscious...

Without much ado, Whitesnake inserted the discs into Kakyoin's head. Said Pinkie immediately stirs and shuffled, as expected.

We waited for minutes, hoping to catch Kakyoin awake so I could apologize for my actions, but much to our surprise, it seems that the pinkie seems to be perfectly content to continue his sleep.

"It seems that for whatever reason, Kakyoin doesn't want to be awakened yet."

"That's your fault for..."

"Well... Maybe I do need to leave a written apology here, so he at least knew that it was started by misunderstanding upon misunderstanding," I opened my bag, took a sheet of paper from my book, and start writing the apology letter. Of course, in case of someone look at it, I know to make the apology vague enough and refers more to our fight last Saturday (which has a lot of witnesses) than outright admitting I am a stand user, so...

 _To Kakyoin Noriaki_

 _I have no excuse of what happened between us lately, and saying 'I am sorry' hardly seems adequate. But if you could forgive me this time, I promise you that an accident like last Saturday won't happen again._

 _Both the suffering I've caused you and the misery I feel now show me that I was too hostile and eager to fight when you actually never tried to pick up on me at that time. Whatever selfish gratification I thought I'd gain by my foolish, cruel act disappeared today, and all that remains is a guilt that gnaws upon my conscience._

 _I know it may be difficult to believe right now, but I really knew what you feel right now. My actions had caused you a lot of grief, but I sincerely believe that it is not too late yet to ask for forgiveness._

 _I humbly ask you to forgive me for what I've done to you, and I am willing to take a punch or two that I really deserved for what you've endured. I've heard the others' mockery of your ability, and the subsequent ostracization that you've endured is the worst thing that could happen to a human being._

 _Let me said this straight, I've been in your shoes when I feel nobody seems to understand me and all I want is to be left alone, and I must admit I haven't really get over that particular phase of my life... yet. But I just want you to know that we could be friends, even if we literally start with the wrong impression of each other._

 _I'll visit you here tomorrow night if you still at the hospital, but if you already went back to school, feel free to talk with me at the class._

 _I really wish we could be friends instead of enemies._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Kujo Jozuma._

Whitesnake has left the note at Kakyoin's bedside, and I honestly feel that whatever happened next, at least I've tried the best not to alienate him even more. Sure, I prefer if I could talk face-to-face with him, and maybe I could try to awaken him, but considering what he has gone through today...

"Let's get back here tomorrow, it's already past 19.00 and I don't want my mother to worry too much about us."

"Can we get something to eat on our way? I'm hungry," said Megumin.

"Maybe we could see if there's something at the riverside, or we could walk all the way to the Tokyo Bay."

"Sounds good to me, Jojo."

...

As we walked across the bridge and towards the shore, we end up stopping by an Okonomiyaki stall and I ordered for the two of us.

Sitting on the banks of Sumida River with Tokyo Bay within sight made me remembers my old life when I sat roughly on the same spot, but the year is 2015 instead of 1986. Sure, nothing beats having a girl watching the scene together at your side, instead of being a loner who contemplates suicide after seeing his first crush end up went with a delinquent.

Nah, the Satou Kazuma of old is dead, I am now Kujo Jozuma and I already have a girlfriend, everything would be good...

"Jozuma, Jozuma..."

"Yes, Jojo here?"

Megumin moves closer and leans toward me.

"This night would be much better if I could grace the calm sea ahead of us with my Explosion."

"Ah yes, your explosion... I missed that too..."

"And how to make this night to turn even better..."

"This night would be better if I could have a look at your..." I said as I looked at her face, thinking about the cliche romantic story I've often read in my pastime, of course, with her cute face like this...

"You may not!" said Megumin as she turned away from my face and tightly grip her skirt.

"Oh come on! You didn't even let me finish!"

"You were about to request a glimpse of my..."

"Oi Megumin, do I really come across that badly?" I cringe at her sudden accusation when all I want to see is her smile. "I just want to see your smile, not your panties you perverted loli!"

"Then don't look at me like that! I feel that you are undressing me with your eyes!"

"Ehhh? Why would I want to undress a little loli like you? Considering that I have grown this big, and you're practically half my size..." I straightened up my standing position to make my muscular body even more pronounced as I raised my chest. "Hell, even my muscular chest is definitely larger than your little..."

I could see Megumin's eyebrows twitched as I mockingly shake my pectoral muscles in front of her face, one of the good things being a muscular guy is...

*SMACK*

"MINE ARE NOT LITTLE!" Megumin smacked my head with her bag. "They've grown bigger! Before long, I'm sure I'll have a pair that would be bigger than Darkness!"

"Considering your brother is actually smaller than me despite being considerably older, you'll need one hell of a growth spurt before you can..."

*SMACK*

Megumin smacked my head with her bag, again.

"Must I show you to prove that mine has grown bigger than you remembered back then, Jojo?"

"I don't see how taking off your shirt would convince me that your boobs have grown..."

*SMACK*

Megumin smacked my poor head with her bag for the third time, and this time, her face already turned red as she furiously looks upon me.

*SMACK*

"Whoever said I will take off my shirt? YOU PERVERT!" said Megumin while smacking my head again that makes it the fourth.

"OI YOU LITTLE SHIT! ALL I WANT TO SEE IS YOUR FACE! YOUR SMILE! AND YOU'RE BEING THE PERVERTED ONE WHO THOUGHT I WANT TO SEE EITHER YOUR PANTIES OR YOUR BOOBS, WHICH THE LATER IS STILL PRACTICALLY NON-EXISTENT, DAMMIT! AND YOU HAVE HIT MY HEAD FOUR TIMES! FOUR TIMES! FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, FOUR DAMNED TIMES!"

Megumin was taken aback by my sudden outburst, and she practically looks down upon herself with her face still being as red as before.

"So you don't want to either see my panties or my boobs? Am I still being a loli to you compared to your big ass...?"

"Just calm down, we have all the time to enjoy our lives here, it's not like we would end up fighting some Demon King and put our lives on the line again."

"But you said I am still a little, and you're much bigger than before..." said Megumin as she tugs upon my collar.

"Blame genetics, I'm a hafu after all, and my family is definitely on the big and swole side."

"That means I could smack your head all the day and you won't feel a thing, right?" said Megumin mischievously.

"Not like that, but..."

"Well, as for me smacking your head around this time..."

I was taken off guard on how Megumin pulls down my collar, and before long, I feel a soft, warm sensation on my lips.

"Mmm... Mwehumin... Mmm..." I said as I enjoyed this cliched development again, but why did she suddenly kiss me like that? Just my luck acting up again?

We separated our lips after a while, and I couldn't help but notices Megumin actually smirked victoriously as we look toward each other.

"So..." said Megumin as she looks toward my eyes.

"Oh well, that was nice... Even if I never expect..."

"At least I got your first lip-to-lip kiss here, right?"

"Yeah... But why did..."

"I don't want yours to be stolen by Darkness again," said Megumin triumphantly. "Seeing that your mother's family is that touchy-feely with each other."

I rolled my eyes looking at how Megumin get that impression with how my mother basically greet everyone with kisses at the morning, just like everyone else in her family. Sure, without Darkness being forced to do menial labor early in the morning, she might try to steal a smack or two, but that's what western gaijin used to do at the first place, so...

"That comes from being western gaijin at the first place, mind you."

"But imagine if Darkness suddenly missed your cheek by a bit and smacked on your lips..."

"Why would she do that? Not like my mother, my grandfather, or my great-grandmother will let her go near me afterward, seeing that they already mistook thing rather badly when Darkness mentioned about us 'sleeping together'. If anything, Jiji will put her on leash around me to avoid 'accidents'."

Megumin chuckled remembering what just happened last night.

"At least you two are related now, I wouldn't need to worry much about you, right?"

"Yeah... But then something still bothering my mind..."

"What is that Jojo?"

"I still wonder on how you will prove your pair has grown bigger than..."

*SMACK*

Megumin smacked my head for the fifth time, but this time, I just grinned as her red eyes glared at me.

"YOU PERVERT!"

...

"Tadaima..."

"Ah Jojo, Megumin-chan, you come home late today," said my mother as we arrive back at my house and she greets both of us with kisses on our cheeks. It seems that the reconstruction works already started, as we could see some workers already working on the wrecked part of my house as Jiji watch over them. "Have you eaten dinner, or..."

"Yeah, sorry mom, maybe that could be our breakfast tomorrow..." I replied as my mother seems to be a little disappointed that her cooking would go to the refrigerator to be reheated as our breakfast tomorrow, but it turns out that Jiji seems to overhear our little conversation, so.

"Don't worry Holly! If my ungrateful grandson didn't want to eat, that's fine! We could still eat your delicious food!"

"But Papa..."

"You could still munch another portion of my daughter's delicious food, right Avdol?"

"Uh... Sure Mr. Joestar..." said the black guy, who seems to still read something on the veranda.

Well, it seems that everything is at peace, at least, so I and Megumin just went into the living room and watch the evening news at the television because there's nothing else to be done at this point.

...

"The body belongs to an unidentified woman, being mutilated in several places and as now, we are still looking for the missing body parts. Police teams still sweep the area around the coasts of Chiba for possible missing parts as well as murder weapons being found there," said the reporter.

"And as now, there is still no suspect?" questioned the anchorwoman.

"There is no possible identification, no leads, nothing... Only severely mutilated torso, upper arms, and legs. The head, the lower arms, and feet are still missing. The investigators said that this murder case could be tied to the recent increase of Yakuza activities. From Onjuku-cho, Ishimura Sazanka reporting."

"Thank you for the report, Sazanka-san, we will continue to follow this heart-breaking story and bring you new information as soon as it becomes available." said the anchorwoman before the anchorman took over the newscasting.

"And now for something less gruesome from the international news section. The astronomers at the Palomar Observatory, California just confirmed that the deviation of Halley Comet from its predicted path happened because of a theoretical collision between the comet head and what is predicted to be a minor meteoroid heading outside the solar system, somewhere along the way."

The TV screen changes from the newsroom into some sort of illustrated space, with the news anchors still providing the narration.

"Scientists predicted that whatever collides with the Halley comet some years ago, if there's still any parts left, would be sent back toward the Earth orbit around the sun, but at the very same time, the meteoroid is calculated to be small enough that it would be very likely to be burned out upon entering earth's atmosphere," said the anchorwoman's voice.

"The meteoroid is theorized to be something small but either hard or dense enough to affect the otherwise predicted orbit of the Halley Comet, but at the same time, it is small enough to not warrant any concern to earth, even if it is very likely to enter earth orbit in around a year or two."

"Hey Jozuma, Papa asked if you..." said Darkness as she moved in front of us.

"Can't you see we're currently busy watching TV, Lalatina? Move your boobs out of my sight!" I said as Darkness is between mine and the TV, and I still want to watch them later.

"Listen dammit! There is something that comes in the attention of The Speedwagon Foundation, and apparently, it involves you!"

"What?"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

 ***** SIDESTORY *****

 **Sidestory 1 - A story of lovers**  
 **Morioh-Cho, Japan, 6 April 1986**

"Right this way miss..." I smiled as I led my girlfriend to enter the living room, feeling her smooth, supple skin on her hand. "I think you'll find my home much to your liking."

"Please wait here while I tidy up your belongings, miss..." I smiled as I walk out of the house to drop off her luggage from the trunk my car, and carried them inside of my room.

After ensuring everything was in place, I look across the living room and found my gaze stops for a while at Megumi-chan's room.

Ah, the happy story of my little sister's love life.

A serene smile grows on my face, remembering how happy she was when I told her that she could try living in her boyfriend's house. Sure, father seems to still worried about her well-being there, but I was adamant about Jozuma-kun being the one who would always try his best to make Megumi-chan happy.

Let's be honest, I envy Jozuma-kun, but I also only wish for the best for him and my little sister, for finding happiness in life this early.

But yeah, I currently have a girlfriend that I need to take care of first...

"What's that miss? Oh, if you whisper so softly, I won't be able to hear you..." I smiled as my girlfriend points her finger towards the television. "Oh, the television?"

I gave the remote control to her, and let her change the channel to something which suits her interest.

"Ah, you like the romantic drama I see..." I smiled while complimenting her romantic choice. "The story of two lovers reincarnated across time and space to be reunited at the end."

I opened my fridge to offer her a drink, taking two glasses of wine onto the table for us to enjoy.

"You thought that was a touching story?" I said as I put the glasses and kissed her hand. "Don't be so shy about that."

"I happened to have a similar story about reincarnated lovers, miss... In which I was the eyewitness."

My girlfriend clutched her hand, seemingly skeptical with what I said, so I put my hands across her and slowly opened her clutch, a finger by a finger.

"I must admit, that this story would be far-fetched to most people, and even I have my own initial skepticism, yet seeing just how happy my sister is with her soulmate dispelled my doubt."

I sat beside her and place her hand on top of my thigh, which she eagerly clawed upon.

"Yes, that pair happened to be my little sister and her then-husband, miss, they were reincarnated from another world, another realm where magic is real. This is the story of Megumi-chan and Jozuma-kun, as I used to call them."

My girlfriend seems to start giving her full attention to my story, so I lean back at the sofa and continues.

"They were a party of adventurers, fighting is their way of life, and their journey is full of fantastic adventures... Oh, me? I'm afraid I'm not really interested in having such a lifestyle miss, because I am a man who values a quiet and peaceful life instead."

My girlfriend seems to be the skeptic on how they end up together again, so...

"And yeah, they died young after their last heroic fight against the Demon King. The Gods took pity on them so they were reincarnated here with their memories intact so they could enjoy their life in each others' company."

I lifted her hand and brought it for another kiss.

"I recognize their manners; they are being sincere with each other, just like every other couple who married for love. Their eyes too, those eyes can't hide the fact that passion did exist between them, just like how we will enjoy this night to the fullest, miss..."

And it seems that my girlfriend did bring a very valid concern about Megumi-chan's age, after seeing her photo on the wall.

"Oh well, the culture was different miss... At their old realm, adulthood begins at fourteen years old, but who am I to break a lover? As a romantic man myself, I just don't have the heart to keep them apart, even as I must maintain my facade as a concerned older brother to Megumi-chan, for their own good, at least."

I let my girlfriend have a taste of the wine.

"Sure, I understood that they were already married back there, but as far as the current realm goes, they are just a pair of high school lovers. Not that I wish to deny them the pleasure, but seeing that they come from what is an essentially medieval world, pursuing education first would be a prudent measure."

And then, predictably, she asked about where are they now.

"Ah yes, just earlier this day, Megumi-chan start living in her husband's house, sure they are not legally married yet, but her husband's mother, Mrs. Kujo, seems to be a very understanding woman at that, and have no problem with her son taking earlier steps into adulthood than most."

My girlfriend put her finger into my shirt, and she looks at me with the question about, well, more adult stuff, so...

"You're so naughty, but I understand your concern, miss... What? You want me to ensure that they will use protection? Oh well, just wait here, I'll call Mrs. Kujo for that."

I left my girlfriend lounging at the sofa, her hand trying to reach the wine glass but she seems to be too lazy to move about that, all while I looked at the phone book and dialed the number of the Kujo family.

...

"Yes, Kujo residence here," said someone who I immediately recognize as Mrs. Kujo.

"Good night Mrs. Kujo, it's me, Yoshikage Kira, Megumi-chan's brother."

"Oh, Yoshikage-san?"

"I want to check up on my little sister, but don't bother her if she's still in the middle of something."

"Oh..."

"My little sister is currently with her boyfriend Jozuma-kun, right?"

"Yes."

"They are not being alone, right? Did their youkai friend Aqua-san present too?"

"Ah, right..." said Mrs. Kujo with a concerned voice, and I understood that I need to convey my concern quickly and clearly enough so there would be no misunderstanding.

"Well, did they tell you about their reincarnations and their story beforehand?"

"What?"

"About how Jozuma-kun is actually Megumin-chan's husband in their previous world," oh well, it seems that for some reasons, Jozuma-kun didn't tell his mother about the true extent of his relationship with Megumi-chan, understandable because Mrs. Kujo is an American and he might think his mom would let him do anything as usual, but still, telling about their marriage would be better in my opinion.

"Oh?"

"I know that maybe you wouldn't mind about having grandchildren this early, but please, think first about their education."

"Uh..." said Mrs. Kujo across the phone, seemingly taken aback with what I just said.

"Yes, they were already married in their previous world, but that world still has medieval level culture and society so they might have different opinions compared to us."

"Really?"

"I suggest you keep an eye for them or at least told them to use protection if they want to do things a married couple does. I hope my request was a reasonable one."

"Don't worry about it that was a reasonable request."

"But otherwise, don't try to separate them, for there's a reason why they keep their memories and love intact."

"Yes, I understand..."

"Good, not that I said their love is improper here, just let them have proper protection, but I suggest you speak with them first about that."

"I will make sure that there is nothing improper between them..."

"Not like that, I'm sure those two would want to do that because, from their point of view, they were already married, just being reborn into their new life in the new realm. Please empathize with their plight, at least."

"Yes..."

"I think just outright ask their Youkai friend Aqua-san if you want to verify their claims."

"That's unexpected, but..."

"I just want to ensure that Megumi-chan won't be pregnant before she finished high school, that's all; I'm not into tormenting them for their love transcends life."

"I understand."

"I hope you will let the lovers do what they usually do, they have waited years before they met each other, and I'm sure you will understand the passion longing in their heart."

"Alright. Thank you as well for being such a kind, understanding person."

"To be fair, I'm not really comfortable with how quickly my little sister went from being the little girl I know to found her husband before her previous, premature death, but what are we compared to those who control fate?"

"I know it must be hard."

"I hope you have no prejudice against a reincarnated couple, Mrs. Kujo."

"I have no prejudice against that, Yoshikage-san."

"Well then, thank you for your time Mrs. Kujo, hope you could talk with them so you will understand more about them."

"Good night too..."

...

After I put the phone back at it's' station, I look back at my girlfriend with a smile.

"Done, I already informed Mrs. Kujo about her son and Megumi-chan's true extent of their relationship, thank you for your concern, miss..."

My girlfriend's hand now tugs upon my arm.

"If that's what you want though, then I hardly have a reason to refuse you."

My finger laced through her hand as I savored the trembling sensation that signed her to be ready for the taking.

"Do you like that, my sweetheart? You do have a lovely hand; I can't help but be drawn to it." I purred seductively as I pecked her hand again, licking on the tears that drop from her eyes.

I opened my mouth and licked her hand from the wrist to the top, earning her scream from her muffled mouth.

"Oh well, it seems that we should depart with the useless things, after all... Right, miss?" I said as I held her right hand with my left, and take down her tied-up body to the floor to enjoy the rest of the sensation.

"Let's start our play tonight, shall we?" I said after I tucked her hand under my feet, as my hands grab her soft neck to give it a firm squeeze. "I'm sure we'll enjoy this all the way."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Oh, what a silly girl you are, you'd better watch where you're going. I would hate for you to hurt yourself even more." I teased my girlfriend before I tenderly lifted her, now already properly separated from the rest of her cold, lifeless body inside the bathroom.

"You still want to know why I let my sister be together with Jozuma-kun, eh?"

There's no answer, only blood continues to drip from the stump, but that was what I expected, a quiet girlfriend is much better than the noisy one.

"Her choice of husband seems to be peculiar at first, yet I felt an aspect of myself inside Jozuma-kun, and this is the sign that I could always place my trust with him. I have seen his gaze differs between looking at a lover and looking at preys. His struggle is something I understand well, and I felt Megumi-chan also understood that particular aspect of him very well."

I licked the stump and caressed her finger.

"I could only imagine what they both enjoy in their spare time..."

I shall enjoy the rest of this night, and if only I have the easier way to dispose of the unnecessary parts, I would enjoy this even more.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 - The Unexpected Journey**  
 **Tokyo, Japan, 7 April 1986**

"What?"

"Just talk to Papa dammit, he doesn't even tell me what was that!" said Darkness.

I glance upon Jiji and as I saw them, they seem to be engrossed as they read upon something on the table.

"They seem to be busy..." I said but I then realize that I have judged them too fast as Jiji suddenly looks directly at my face.

"Ah Jozuma, come here..." said Jiji as he beckoned me to come to his side.

"Ok..." I have no other choice than simply follow the order, am I? But what did I do that merits the attention of the Speedwagon foundation?

"Sit down," said Jiji as he set aside the folder on the table. "Your stand's ability is to steal another stand, right?"

"Well, that's about it, so..."

"We have received a disturbing report from New York, a beast-car hybrid has been spotted yesterday, and rumors said it was the very same thing that was reported rampaging upon the streets. The Speedwagon foundation has been called to investigate."

"Let me guess, you think those are stand-related business, and you want me to come with you, right?" My guess seems to be true as Jiji just nod his head in confirmation of my suspicion. "Tough luck, I'm not leaving Aqua here..."

"Oh come on... Could you at least trust us here? We won't just randomly kill your Pillar Woman friend out of the blue unless she broke free from her stone form and start killing innocent people," Jiji shook his head in disbelief. "Look, we're just asking if you want to help us, and..."

"No no no nope NOPE NOPE NOPE, I'm not leaving Japan..."

"But Jozuma..." said Jiji, much to my surprise, great-grandmother took notice of our discussion and went in with another folder in hand.

"Noriaki Kakyoin is one of your classmates, right?" said great-grandmother sternly, and I just realized from her tone that this could mean trouble.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Uh yes... Wait a minute, why suddenly..." I started to sweat a bit as I remembered my past life and how being entangled with law enforcement often meant bad things in my life. Anyway, did Kakyoin's parents reported me to the Police?

"Someone found your letter of apology left at his side at the hospital. I'd suggest you go with your grandfather for New York to let things cool off for some days unless you want to..."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

OH, CRAP must be the Police... CRAP, maybe getting away would be the best policy right now, so...

"As long as you promise to keep Aqua alive... How can I help you?" I look toward great-grandmother, before looking back to Jiji, which now seems to be amused by all of this sudden turn of events.

"But you said you are not leaving Japan this time," said Jiji mischievously as he rolls his eyes. "Well, I have been expelled from high school and imprisoned for petty crimes in my youth, maybe you should make that a family tradition and..."

"I don't want to get imprisoned again! I don't want to have any criminal records! Not in this life!"

"But what you have done was essentially hospitalizing your innocent classmate, right?" said Jiji while he scratching his head. "I have been jailed for less back then in London."

"I'm just trying to make amends as any decent person would do, but why I end up with this? This is not fair!"

"Hey, calm down Jozuma, just let us knew the reasons why you put your classmate into a hospital, and maybe we could work from where we could help you with your problem," said Jiji calmly as he put his hand upon my shoulder.

"I just want to test Whitesnake's power, and used him to peek at the girls' changing room, but Kakyoin has his own stand and caught Whitesnake in the act, so I was forced to fight!"

"You use your stand to peek at girls' changing room?" said great-grandmother with disgust, but somehow, why it seems that she gazes upon Jiji instead of me? Must be my own imagination then.

"Uh... Well, peeking on girls is bad habit Jozuma... Bad habit... Bad..." said Jiji while he seems to be uncomfortable with the revelation. "But at least if you're going with us, I could arrange things that you won't get criminal notice at the first place, but you need to be get away from Japan as soon as possible."

"T... Thank you, Jiji... I didn't mean to..."

"Yeah, being young have its advantage... No, being young and stupid may cause deep regrets when you're older," said Jiji as it seems that great-grandmother's disapproval gaze seems to pierce not only me but for somewhat reasons, Jiji as well. "Just don't do that again, okay?"

"You should not misusing your power like that, imagine if another stand user used his stand to peek upon your mother," Avdol adds to the discussion, but why did Jiji seem to look further away from this conversation? "With great power comes great responsibility."

"I'm not Spiderman dammit!"

"That was still equally valid Jozuma... Anyway, let's get straight to business, you help us, we'll help you... deal?" said Jiji.

"I'll help you Jiji, just say what should I do!"

"You could start by packing your belongings, I'll arrange with your school that you have some family business to attend at New York, just trust me."

...

 **JFK International Airport, New York, USA, 9 April 1986**

"First time going to New York, eh, Jozuma? I still remember how it was back then when Speedwagon brought me and granny Erina to America," Jiji grinned as we walk out of the customs office. "But unlike today, we arrive by ship, not plane, and trans-Atlantic ship ride is rather... boring... if I must describe it."

"You promised that I would get off without a criminal record, that is why I agree to help you at the first place, Jiji," I whispered back while reluctantly towing my bag behind the other two.

"Geez... Just don't be so glum about it, Jozuma, we already promised you that your Pillar Woman friend would be fine. You should really trust your great-grandmother more," said Jiji as he rolled his eyes.

Oh well, for the record, my great-grandmother stayed in Japan as someone obviously needs to keep an eye on stone-Aqua, and as the chance is high that something Pillar-Men related may surface the renovated site, she did need someone else to help handle those 'dangerous artifacts' and hence that's why Darkness also stays in Japan with her.

I do suspect something else as Darkness practically begged to went back to America that night, but it seems that our story of past life, for better or worse, has been successful in creeping even my mother, let alone Jiji and great-grandmother. Sure, I'm not looking to explain that, well, that's reincarnation, but that's where the complication starts.

On the other hand, Megumin has no reason to go to America, and end up assuring me that she would keep Darkness company during her forced stay in Japan, as well as looking for Aqua's safety. There's not much she could do in that case, but hey, every small thing helps.

I could only hope Megumin's plan to introduce Darkness to her big brother would go smoothly. I do feel bad for Yoshikage-san once he knew who Darkness really is, and I would bet that her masochism would be a huge turn-off to anyone, but according to Megumin's logic, there's nothing wrong with trying anyway, so...

"Come on, don't think too much about it, there will be no problem at all in Japan Jozuma," Jiji seems to be concerned about my extended silence as we keep walking.

"Yeah, but... Getting reported to the Police over a mere schoolyard fight. Sure, I did end up hospitalizing him, but I actually apologize for kinds of stuff that happened last Saturday instead of Monday morning... Why they end up making the leap that I was the one hospitalizing their son at that time? Am I really an idiot for writing that letter of apology?"

"Well, we're not criticizing your attempt to apologize Jozuma," said Jiji with a wry smile. "I actually applaud you for that, but considering that you feel really guilty over it, I do suggest you do something else in the meantime. You could always apologize later when everything has been sufficiently cooled off."

"And if this didn't work out, should I change my citizenship to American and get out from Japan basically, forever?"

Avdol seems to be disturbed upon something, and he just shook his head on my statement.

"Well, while you did, in fact, put your classmate into a hospital... His parents only knew about your fight with him last Saturday. In fact, if you did not just break down and tell us what have you done last Monday... Nobody would know."

"What?"

"Calm down Jozuma, actually there's no police involvement, and even if they were, there's no way for any police force to get a proof over such blatantly supernatural phenomenon like stands. Not that Kakyoin's parents knew it was you at the first place who hospitalize their son..." said Avdol softly.

"DAMMIT AVDOL, YOU WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SILENT, THAT'S THE PLAN!" shout Jiji as he tried to put his hand upon Avdol's mouth, but what's have been said has been said, so...

"WHAT?"

"Well, your stand might help us a lot in our investigation, and you are the one who breaks down in fear of police at the first place. Truth to be told... Kakyoin's parents did contact an agent of the Speedwagon foundation to investigate their son's condition, but they didn't want to bring the attention to the police at all. From an outsider's point of view, their son just ends up suddenly being in pain and fallen unconscious without reason, and that was a sheer coincidence that I happened to be the one who found your apology letter at the first place. I wish to let the poor boy knew of your letter, but your grandfather said that it would be better to tell you everything once you have arrives in New York, so..." said Avdol with a smile. "I am not entirely convinced on how your grandfather tries to figuratively pulls your leg, but we kind of need you, so..."

"WHAT THE FUCK?" I said as I summoned Whitesnake at my side. I am really not amused by how Jiji and great-grandmother end up using my own mistake to shanghai me into helping their own supernatural related business, and...

"HEY JOZUMA! CALL YOUR STAND OFF MY FACE! CALL YOUR STAND OFF MY FACE! HELP ME HERE AVDOL!" shouted Jiji in Panic as Whitesnake bares his fangs in front of his face.

"You do deserve it, Mr. Joestar," said Avdol as he just shook his head. "But anyway, that does mean you still have the ability to see stands at the first place, maybe that would be a good thing after all."

"Why aren't you telling me that this old fart uses this kind of deception to have me helping him at the first place?" I shouted to Avdol, who just rolls his eyes.

"Anyway, as you already set your feet upon American soil, maybe it would be the best for you to help with our investigation anyway," said Avdol with a slight smile. "And you do need to learn some sort of responsibility at the first place, this would only good for you, so..."

"Maybe I should just knock both of you out, hijack a plane, and went back to Japan immediately." Whitesnake returns on my side after doing his intimidation round in front of Jiji's face. "I am really not amused by all the deception my shitty grandfather and great-grandmother pulled upon me. Shanghaiing someone to be on their adventure is not something you should do at the first place!"

"But well, you are our best option at the first place Jozuma... Well, please understand our position here, your stand could be our only hope to neutralize the beast-car hybrid," said Jiji as he grinned uncomfortably in front of my unamused face. "And you are indeed guilty of hospitalizing your own classmate in the first place, so..."

"But that was unrelated and..." I tried to retort further, but then I remembered how I end up dragging Aqua into my adventure, and it hits me.

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Did Karma just start caught up with me here? If I never drag her to go on Adventure, maybe she would still be a Goddess instead of being cursed into a Demon, so...

"What's wrong Jozuma? Why you suddenly look like that?" questioned Jiji as I realized I just stopped walking and dropped down to my knees.

"No... Nothing Jiji... Just keep going..."

"Joseph! Jozuma!" said an old lady that seems to recognize us from afar, and I realizes that she must be my grandmother Suzie Q. Oh well...

"Just be a good boy won't you, look, I'm sorry to make you doing this, but..."

"I understand Jiji, that was partially my fault too, so..."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 - A Little Dog's Tale**

 **New York, USA, 9 April 1986**

"It's a relief that you and your mother end up safe my dear!" said granny as she joyfully hugs me. "To think the monster actually live under your house after all."

"Uh, granny that's not..." I do felt some discomfort over how my grandmother refers to Aqua as a monster, but I also remembered about Jiji's words to keep my silence about Aqua in front of her, something about her having an old trauma when a disembodied Pillar Man brain forcibly put himself inside of her and took her hostage.

"Anyway, who slain that monster Pillar Woman? You again Joseph?" said granny while looking towards Jiji, who in turn just slightly averts his gaze, and this ends up giving the wrong impression. "Oh wait, don't tell me that's the very reason you brought Jozuma here! He has Hamon abilities and ends up being the one who kills her, right?"

"Umm, not that... I know nothing about Hamon and..." I tried to speak further, but Jiji just put his finger in front of my mouth.

"We'll talk about that later at home, Suzie, maybe we should go home and eat something first, right Jozuma?"

I just nod my head as we continue walking to a waiting car.

"Master Joseph, I believe your journey to Japan must be a success," the driver bows to us before taking over our baggage to be put into the trunk of the car.

"That's right Roses," said Jiji as he opened the passenger door and let granny take her seat first before taking his seat at her side. "Any new developments regarding the beast-car next door?"

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"That beast-car has been last sighted last Sunday, attacking another midtown supermarket early in the morning," said the driver as I went into the only available seat after Avdol took the front passenger seat.

"So there's no further sighting afterward?" said Jiji as he gave the order for the driver to start driving. "Thank you Roses."

"Joseph my dear, don't say that you come here just to deal with that monster so soon after you finished the Pillar Woman," said granny with concern in his voice.

"There are many reasons for that Suzie, and you know that we owned most of the midtown real estates."

"You should just let the SPW agents dealt with the monster my dear, there's no need for you to deal with that monster personally."

"But that's why I brought Jozuma here, he does volunteer to help with the most recent Speedwagon Foundation investigation, right Jozuma?"

I could only nod my head while mentally cursing Jiji over being press-ganged into some sort of supernatural adventure all over again. Now, if only granny is not here, we would already engage in a shouting match or worse.

Looking at the dark sky, I realized that this should already night time. The dashboard clock did show 20.30 EST, and I used the information to adjust the time on my wristwatch.

...

And while I do expect it, I never really expect New York traffic jam to be actually worse than Tokyo. Not that I want to complain much because the car is much more comfortable than what we have in Tokyo, perks being a billionaire it seems.

"Oh dear, the traffic congestion seems to get worse than usual..." said granny as she took something out of her purse. "Maybe you want some sweets, my dear boy?"

I was about to say no until I see the rather unusual flavor listed on the chewing gum.

"Coffee?" I took some of the gums from granny's hand.

"Well, I do buy several other flavors, maybe you'd like a strawberry one? Or Yoghurt?"

"Coffee is fine, granny, thank you," I said while opening one and notices the fragrant smell. Popping one in my mouth, I could say that they are definitely one of the best chewing gums I had in my life.

"What's the cause of this traffic jam anyway, we have barely moved for ten minutes!" said Jiji while looking out of the window and asks the policeman who managed the traffic at the nearby crossing. "Hey officer, what happened?"

"A monster appears at the Penn Station, broke into KFC and Taco Bell, ransacking the place before escaping with the cash registers, Mr. Joestar," said the tired looking Policeman with a polite smile as he apparently immediately recognize Jiji. "I suggest you turn right at the next junction and avoid the carnage near the station."

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"The beast-car monster?"

"Aye, that's why we tried to divert the traffic from there, the area is currently still deemed as dangerous."

"But as you know, I owned several places there, can we went in and have a closer look?"

"Of course sir, but be careful..." said the Policeman politely.

"Thank you, officer," said Jiji as he closes the window, and I could see the policeman talk something on his radio before returning to his previous job to manage the traffic. "The Penn Station should be close enough from here. Roses, park the car after the crossroads and wait for us there."

"Yes master Joseph," said the driver as we slowly drive across the line of police cars, which parted their ways just for us to pass across them. Must be one of the quirks of being a famous billionaire, after all.

"This might be our lucky day Jozuma," said Jiji as he went out of the door signing me to do the same.

"Be careful," said Avdol, who already went out of the car when I wasn't looking, and at his side, there's his muscular bird-man stand.

"Dammit, I haven't properly rest yet!"

...

"Are you sure that car-beast monster or whatever were stand-related? It seems that everyone could see it." I said as we walked past the police barricade.

"There are several reasons why we suspect this monster must be a stand-related Phenomenon," said Avdol with a certainty in his face. "The fire gave positive reading upon that monster being a stand-made construct."

"Oh well..." I rolled my eyes looking at how Avdol boasting about his fortune-telling mumbo-jumbo again, but then, with me having a stand that could steal another stands and memories myself, those are hard proof that magic definitely exists in this world.

"So far, our best bet would be looking for the stand user, keep your eyes if you notice someone suspicious. Since only a stand user could see another stand, you should keep an eye out for someone who reacts to our stands, so..."

I simply summoned Whitesnake and used him to poke Jiji's cheek.

"Like this old man?" I smirked when I see Jiji practically fumed at my impromptu joke.

"Dammit Jozuma, I could see stands only because your girlfriend shoved Avdol's stand inside my head!" said Jiji with annoyance clearly shown in his face. "Move your creepy-ass stand out of my face!"

"Sssh..." Avdol suddenly gave us a sign to keep our silence, as we saw a large group of people being told by the police to not leave this premise because it is dangerous. "Jozuma, your stand is a long ranged one, keep your stand walking some distance away in front of us, so we could see if someone in the crowd react to his presence. That would be the prime suspect for this case."

"Oh well, so that's the plan... Using Whitesnake to bait the perpetrator? Really? Why not you sent your own stand to do the same?"

"Magician's Red is a close-range stand, powerful, but somewhat limited in operational range," Avdol gave me a rough detail of his stand. "Magician's Red cannot move more than a couple of meters away from me, quite the opposite with your stand, who could practically move further away from your body."

"Don't worry about that, as long as you follow our plan, everything would be alright," Jiji gave his assurance, and I then order Whitesnake to walk a distance away in front of us while Avdol unsummoned his Magician's Red.

Now, as we look around and walk into the 'crime scene', I could see that there are smashed windows, tables, and chairs lodged into some unfortunate cars, and a big cabinet used to be full of fried chicken being broken over the road, and at the other side, a big pot filled with what used to be ground meat strewn across the walkway. Some people are being detained and questioned by the police, while another group formed near an ambulance, as some medics already tend the wounded.

"And to think the perpetrator actually cause more property damages compared to what he or she could steal from those cash registers," said Jiji as he approaches some guy in a jacket with 'Speedwagon Foundation' label, that seems to immediately recognize him. "How many casualties we had here."

"Thirty wounded, seven requires immediate hospitalization, but no fatalities as yet, Mr. Joestar. The beast-car monster was last spotted escape into a dead-end alley, but both Speedwagon Foundation securities and NYPD Officers have found nothing there so far."

While Jiji spends his time speaking with what I realize must be one of the Speedwagon Foundation staff, Avdol signs at me to keep looking at the crowd, to see if someone notices Whitesnake, that still walk around the scene aimlessly.

I could see that with all the fried chicken and meat being strewn across and wasted on the street, some street dogs already come to feast upon them, as the cops seem to focus more on the people. Well, today must be their lucky day, and those street dogs did seem harmless enough.

"Come on Jozuma, we should look for any clue here," said Avdol as he keeps looking upon the potential suspects from the crowd.

"Alright, but maybe that guy already fled the scheme, so..." I said while I suddenly notice that Whitesnake has a small black and white dog looking at it with curiosity in its eyes. As I focused on that little dog, I could see its cartoonish face did focus upon Whitesnake's movement, with its big ears and expressive eyes somehow remind me of Chomusuke, of all things.

Well, maybe the long-held myth about dogs being able to detect the presence of spirits and ghosts were true, and I do feel bad with the poor doggy that spends its time looking at Whitesnake instead of eating the free fried chickens. So I took one from the ground and put it near its head.

Sure, said dog end up initially startled with my presence, somehow, but as I put my best smile, it sniffs at the fried chicken before moving on to sniff at my fingers.

"Jozuma, what are you doing?" questioned ii as I went down to pet the cute little dog and ordered Whitesnake to simply stand still so he won't disturb the poor doggy.

"Can't you see that this dog is cute?" I said as the little dog whined cutely and point out at something in my pocket.

"Hmm... Do you want this coffee flavored gum?" I said while holding one of the coffee gum and the little dog just happily snatch it out of my hand.

"Hey, let me took off the wrappers first!" I said while looking at how fast this little dog run away from my position. Luckily, it runs towards the direction of Whitesnake, so as nobody seems to look at our position, I ordered Whitesnake to lift of the cute little dog so I could open his gum wrapper instead of letting the puppy become sick over eating the paper wrapper.

"JOZUMA! WATCH OUT!" shouted Jiji as suddenly, something appears from the ground and pounce toward Whitesnake, but luckily, Avdol already summoned his bird-man and throw a stream of fire toward the monster, giving Whitesnake enough time to dodge the attack and carry the poor little doggy to safety.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

The poor puppy yelps and thrashes when the monster jump near it, but luckily, Magician's Red managed to score another hit, causing the weird monster to hiss and take a stance as if it would pounce upon us again.

Said monster is one of the weirdest monsters I've ever seen, even if I include my previous encounters at Eris' world. The monster seems to be as big as two lizard runners standing side-by-side, its head shaped like some sort of tribal mask with feathers sticking out like some Indian headgear, its front legs have sharp, metallic looking claws, but also with cables sticking out, the weirdest part, however, is instead of having a pair of hind legs, the monster has a pair of wheels where its hind legs should be. Overall, this monster's appearance is so blatantly unnatural, that it can't be anything but a construct.

Before said monster could hurt the poor puppy, I took the little dog away from Whitesnake's hands and held it close to my chest to calm the pup. I don't want it to get away only to end up being killed by that unnatural beast-car monster.

The monster seems to be too focused on the poor little pup, that Jiji managed to get close and...

"HAMON OVERDRIVE!" said Jiji as he punched the beast-car monster squarely on the head, but much to our surprise, Jiji's hand just sunk into the monster's hide, clamp on Jiji's hand, and using that to throw Jiji into the crowd. Luckily, Jiji seems to regain his balance as he managed to cling onto the nearby wall instead and somersaulted back to the ground.

"Dammit, it seems that Hamon has no effect upon that monster."

"But it seems that stand does, sorry Mr. Joestar," said Avdol while using his stand to crash into the monster. Unfortunately, that was rather close with my position that I end up struck to the ground. Luckily, I still managed to hold the poor little dog in my arms, even if it tried to go away from me.

"Oh, you're definitely a boy!" I said as the puppy flipped itself belly up in an effort to get out of my arms. For somewhat reason, I think the puppy must somewhat understand what I just said as it flips his belly down to hide a certain part from my sight. Looking at his annoyed face, I can't help but let a laugh over his antics. "Well sorry boy, just curious if you're a boy or a girl."

"This monster might have the ability to travel underground, be careful..." said Jiji as some of the policemen present unload their guns into the monster, but much to our surprise, that monster isn't really affected with being shot at the first place as the bullets just harmlessly pass through the monster's body.

"WHAT?" said one of the police before said monster tried to pounce upon him, only for Avdol and Magician's Red tackle it from the side.

"RED BIND!" said Avdol as long stream of flame formed at the bird-man's hands before his stand used it as a rope to hold the beast-car monster in place.

"Hush, don't worry boy," I tried to calm the little dog as he thrashed under my hold. Whoever is the culprit behind the beast-car monster, he or she must be rotten to the core as said monster deliberately attacks an innocent little dog.

But as everything seem to under control, suddenly, the beast-car monster melt into a pile of dirt, causing Avdol's bird-man to lose his balance before a strong blast of sand threw Avdol onto the wall.

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"Sand! The Monster's true form is a shape-shifting sand!" shouted Jiji as the monster reformed and charge into his position.

Jiji grabs a pile of grasses and takes his breath before throwing that pile of grass into the incoming sand monster. A series of yellow crackles could be seen on the air as the monster seems to strike on a hard surface.

"Well, at least Hamon infused grass-wall is still enough to block that damned monster," said Jiji with joy at his voice. "Maybe we could try containing it and..."

Suddenly, the monster just changes its direction and start charging toward my position.

Uh-oh... At least Whitesnake still has enough time to stand in front of me, but one swipe from that beast-car monster knocks Whitesnake, and by association, myself to the ground, before said monster lunge in front of me.

I can't think anything but grab the little dog closer to my chest and try to protect it against the said monster, all while I put all my efforts to make Whitesnake jump and at least shove the monster away from me.

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It was a close one, the monster's face is very close with mine when Whitesnake managed to put his hand on the monster's head. It should be a pathetically weak attempt to shove that monster away from my direction, but much to our surprise...

The monster seems to be frozen in track before crumbling into a pile of sand on top of myself, all while I tried to at least keep the poor puppy safe with my body. It seems that for whatever reasons, Whitesnake's hand touching its head is enough to make it crumble into sand and dirt.

Let's be honest here, after everything, that monster end up defeated rather anticlimactically when Whitesnake merely touch its head, if not because that happened in front of my eyes, I would not believe it.

"Did you..." said Jiji as he helped me to stand, while I just blankly look at how Whitesnake end up saving us by his... death touch?

"Did I just destroy that beast-car monster?" I ask to no one in particular while Avdol managed to pull himself off from the wall he was thrown at with great effort.

"Damn, that beast might have cracked my right arm," Avdol winces as he grasped his upper right arm. "Let's hope that whatever the hell happened tonight, that beast will never come back."

I realized that I still hold the poor little puppy in my hand when the later licked my fingers and look toward the coffee chewing gum still held inside my left hand.

"Well, if you still want it, buddy," I opened the wrapper and gave the gum to the happy puppy, who immediately devour it with gusto. "Never heard dog eating chewing gum before."

"Let's go Jozuma, Avdol still need medical attention for his cracked arm," said Jiji as he helps Avdol with his injuries. "Why did you keep holding that dirty little mutt, Jozuma?"

"Well, please think of this poor puppy, that monster almost kills this innocent dog."

"Just throw that dirty little mutt into a trash can and wipe your hands off before you went back into the car," said Jiji as he points out towards the nearby restroom.

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But much to everyone's surprise...

The very same monster that we thought has been destroyed suddenly forms near Jiji and start pouncing at him. If only Jiji was a bit slower to jump out...

"HOLY SHIIIT!" shouted Jiji as he rolls on the ground to face the monster while I summoned Whitesnake again to hold the monster.

Much to my surprise, however, as soon as Whitesnake start touching the monster, said monster suddenly crumble into dirt and sand, again.

"Did my stand power includes disintegration or something?" I scratched my head while thinking about the implication of the events before looking into the little dog I still held on my arm. Maybe it was just my overly active imagination, but did I just see this little puppy smirks?

...

"How this end up like that?" said Jiji in frustration as we entered the car after we drop Avdol to a nearby hospital. "All we could do is contain the general area of the Penn Station and interrogate some suspicious looking people, all who lead to nothing in the end. And much to my dismay, you Jozuma, of all people, still have the gall to carry that dirty little mutt into my car!"

Still holding the poor little puppy in my arm, I only glare at Jiji's statement while the puppy seems to emote the same kind of glare. Well, that's good, never see a dog being this expressive, honestly.

"Calm down my dear, Jozuma is just being a good boy, and this is just a cute little puppy, isn't it?" said granny as she scratches the little dog behind his ears, earning her a happy growl coming from the cute little dog.

"That monster tried to attack this innocent little dog," I said while opening another pack of coffee gum and giving it for the happy little dog. "I think he must have witnessed something important, that whoever controls that beast-car monster tried to kill him."

"Hmph..." Jiji turned away his face with a snort. "If not because of that, I will happily kick that dirty little mutt repeatedly like a soccer ball until..."

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At such verbal declaration to brutally kill an innocent puppy like him, everyone in the car disapprovingly glares at Jiji's face, not only me and granny, but even the driver joins at giving Jiji the disapproving look. Even the little dog follows on to look upon Jiji with disapproval.

"Joseph Joestar, should I tell Holly and Lala that their father tries to brutally kill an innocent dog?" said Granny.

"Don't worry little buddy, my grandfather shall never lay harm upon you," I said as I rub his chin. "Or else he will have *something* coming out of his head."

"Why did the two of you go against me dammit!" shouted Jiji before the driver starts our car again. "Hey Roses, did I said something wrong?"

"That was uncalled for, master Joseph," said the driver as he shook his head before went back to his driving duty as nothing happened.

At least Jiji had the decency to look ashamed afterward.

...


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 - Awkward Dinner**

 **New York, USA, 9 April 1986**

"Hey! Why are you all keep looking at me like that?!" said Jiji indignantly as we went inside the large, luxurious house that fits well for being a home of a New York Billionaire. "And why did you still brought that mutt inside Suzie! I said..."

"You tried to make this little dog stays outside..." said granny as she pats the little dog carried on her arms. "You know that it's cold outside."

"Just gave it some rags! That little mutt should stay outside!" Jiji points out to the poor little dog on grandma's arm, causing yet another heart-wrenching whine from the poor puppy. "Hah! He preys upon your sympathies! Now it mocks me!"

"Now now, you're being unreasonable my dear," said granny as she rocks the puppy back and forth to calm him. "I'll tell the maids to clean him, get him a tasty piece of meat, and dust off Chompy's old bed for him."

"No dammit! I told you that mutt would be bad news! Look at its face! Look at its face now! It mocks me!"

Sure, I could see that the little dog's face seems to sneer at Jiji for a while, but as soon as I take a closer look, said puppy's face turned out to be nothing but a sad face complete with puppy-dog-eyes expression.

"You must be already tired Jiji, I don't see anything wrong with this cute little dog."

"Dammit Jozuma? Can't you see it's mocking face? That dog clearly sneers at me!"

"Joseph," granny sighed as she looks toward Jiji's indignant face. "Please stop being this unreasonable. This poor little baby could stay here, at least for a night. I will ask Roses to put some 'found dog' posters tomorrow so if he has someone looking at him, he could be reunited with his owner."

"Last time Lalatina brought a random mutt into this house, we're stuck with Chompy for fourteen years!" whined Jiji.

"You always whine about Chompy, but when Chompy passed away due to old age, you cried too!"

"Hmph!" said Jiji as he turns his face away from us. "That's different! This mutt is not Chompy, this mutt mocks me! I have a bad feeling about it! This dirty little mutt can't be trusted! Suzie! Come back!"

At this point, granny just rolls her eyes and walk off with the little dog into a large, spacious living room, complete with a stairway leading to a balcony with large-screen television hanging on the wall.

"Veronica, give this puppy a bath, and tell Alicia to get him the leftover meats."

"Yes senora," said the maid as she carefully took the little dog from granny's arms. As far as I could tell, the puppy seems to be quick to bury his head into the young maid's breasts, but that must be my overly active imagination at work.

Yeah, that dog is indeed a lucky bastard.

"Don't worry about your grandfather Jozuma, he might act as if he hates dogs now, but trust me, dogs are his favorite animal," said granny with a smile. "He'll change his words after some days. He does that with our late Chompy too, but back then, he was worried more about stepping on dog poo."

As we arrived at the dinner table, granny told me to take a seat, and after waiting for a short time, dinner is served on the table.

"Feels weird that this being my third dinner in a row," I said as we face the dinner.

"Good eat reduces jet lag," said granny with a smile as she put some spaghetti on my plate. "Don't worry about your grandfather, he always whines like that since the first time I met him. I feel he will join us later anyway and he won't mind if we eat first."

"Okay?"

...

We are in the middle of eating our dinner when Jiji arrives and joined us at the table.

"What makes you so long?" questioned granny as she put spaghetti upon Jiji's plate.

"The cash registers have been found, whoever is behind the beast-car monster did not have the time to take their money. The perpetrator, or perpetrators, did not expect our presence, so he escapes the premise rather than trying to pry open the registers and risk being caught red-handed," said Jiji in a serious tone before looking into my face. "We shall continue our investigation tomorrow."

"Oh joy," I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes. "Nothing beats being press-ganged to help your supernatural investigation and getting almost killed by a mysterious beast-car monster."

"Huh?" said granny as she looks toward me and then towards Jiji. "You said that Jozuma volunteer himself?"

"Uh-oh," I realized too late that I just blurted out being forced to help Jiji in front of granny.

"Uh, Suzie... I... I can explain..."

"Now, now my dear..." said granny with a light chuckle. "You used to whine about how mama Lisa Lisa dragged you to train against the Pillar Men, now turned out that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all."

"Uh, so you're not..." said Jiji, apparently taken off guard by granny's unexpected reaction.

"Of course I'm not complaining about you forcing Jozuma to train, with the Pillar Men still left their mark, I won't be surprised if there's still some unfinished business and Jozuma need to be properly trained," said granny with a melancholic face. "He is of the Joestar blood after all. Mama Lisa Lisa said that men of the Joestar family are tall, strongly built, easily win everyone's trust, often found themselves put into life and death situations due to their own curiosity, and all have had only one woman in their whole life. This was true for your grandfather Jonathan, this was true for your father George, this was true for you, and so this must be true for Jozuma as well."

"Ummm... Well... Thanks?" said Jiji as he shudders, awkwardly scratches his beard, before taking a sip from his coffee.

"But let's talk about something else, shouldn't we?" said granny as she looks upon me." We should be thankful that whatever happened in Japan, you and your mother is completely safe, with only your house being ransacked."

I want to add that if Jiji and great-grandmother didn't just went in and try to kill Aqua at the first place, my house wouldn't end up half-destroyed, but considering what Jiji said about granny and her traumatic experience with the Pillar Men.

"Well, that Pillar Woman never think about Jozuma's latent stand power being awakened at the same time. It wasn't ideal, but at least Jozuma managed to get out of his house before the Pillar Woman could do anything worse to them," said Jiji while eyeing me to be silent about this matter.

"I understand, that's why you brought Jozuma here to train yes?"

"More or less..."

"Anyway Joseph my dear, why did you leave Lala and Holly in Japan at the first place?" questioned granny with a slight sadness in her voice. "I already ordered Holly's room to be cleaned up yesterday, thinking that maybe she'll stay here too as her house being renovated."

"Holly is obviously needed to oversee the renovation of her house," said Jiji as he sips his coffee again. "We already called Sadao, but due to his hectic European Tour, could only come back in Japan at the first of May."

Yep, we did inform my father about how his ancestral home has Aqua inside, and how I signed a blood-sealed Youkai contract with her. The news did surprise him, but father did tell me afterward about how he is proud of me to do the right thing. Apparently, my father didn't have any qualm with the Youkai contract, having heard that kind of legend from Nana-baa-chan himself.

"But why Lala stays at Japan?" questioned granny. "Last time I talked to her, she said that she will soon back at home, so..."

"Umm, that's... Just Lalatina wanted to catch up with her sweet sister Holly, and also helping mama with the artifacts," said Jiji with a forced-looking smile. "She thought that maybe Holly would be happier if she stays for the time being."

Left unsaid is the real reason why Darkness was specifically left behind at Japan, which involves an ill-disguised attempt to seduce me despite we are now being related by blood.

"If anything my dear, I actually thought that it would be you and mama dealing with the Pillar Men artifacts while Holly and Lala stay here," whispered granny with a sad smile on her face. "I already missed Holly, but at least you do bring our grandson here..."

"Well, I just don't have the heart to separate our daughters Suzie, they never met each other for a long time after all. Now let's talk about..." said Jiji trying to steer the conversation out from Darkness and her antics, but...

"Being born just before Holly married Sadao, our daughters never really grew together at the first place. It was as if we have two only daughters, living at the opposite side of the world most of their lives," said granny as she took a portrait from the nearby cabinet. "I can't blame them if they wanted to catch up."

I look at the glass cabinet holding several photos of my grandfather's family, sure the biggest one is the photo of my parent's wedding day, with Jiji still having his brown hair, granny still looking reasonably young as she carried baby version of Darkness on her arms, and great-grandmother that looks more fitting to be my own grandmother.

Just under that photo, I see another that has the beardless version of Jiji and much younger version of granny holding the little girl version of my mother. And just somewhere at the side, there's another version of the said photo, but with Jiji already have his beard, granny already looks old, a little girl that could only be Darkness, and a big-ass brown-white Pitbull smiling at their side.

"Ummm granny is that..."

"Yes my dear, that's Chompy, our family dog. He passed away a year ago..." said granny as her eyes dampen. "That's why I told you, dogs are your grandfather's favorite animal."

"At least Chompy never mocked me! That little mutt mocked me as he manipulates you into letting him get into the house at the first place!" said Jiji, half annoyed that granny reminds him again of 'that dirty little mutt', but also visibly relieved by the change of subjects."

"Now now Joseph, you are being irrational..." said granny as she rolls her eyes again. "A little dog mocking you?"

"I could feel it, Suzie! I have seen into his eyes! He's not your usual dog!"

"Come on, at least be a little bit mature in front of your grandson," said granny with a sigh as I chuckled at the scene. "That poor puppy is a small dog, he would be easier to raise than a big dog like Chompy, and you do love Chompy."

"That's differ... Aaarrrgh!" said Jiji as he pulls his own hair. "That little mutt..."

And just as Jiji said about that, turned out that the very same little dog now jogs happily toward us while a maid seems to catch her breath following him from behind.

"Ah, who's the good boy..." said granny as she pats the little dog's head.

"That dirty little mutt..."

"We already clean him up and gave him some food as ordered, senor," said the Maid as she is visibly carrying a big, fluffy dog bed.

"Waff! Waff!" the little dog happily barked and run around the table, prompting smile for everyone except Jiji, that only grows deeper at the puppy's antics.

"Oh come on my dear, don't frown like that, he's just a good little boy," said granny as she scoops the little dog up from the floor.

"At least don't carry that mutt into our room! That mutt should stay with either the maids or with Jozuma tonight!"

"Whatever you say, my dear," said granny as she starts to pet the little dog, before holding him and put the little dog on Jiji's arm "But maybe you could give him a chance, this puppy is a good little boy..."

"Hmph, my feeling still told me that this dog is a bad news!" said Jiji as he held the little dog in front of his face. "Well, maybe I could..."

*Prrrffftttttt!*

"HOLY SHIT YOU FUCKING MUTT! HOW COULD YOU!" screamed Jiji as he tried to throw the little dog, but the dog jumps on his head and starts chomping on Jiji's hair, likely in response to the sudden violence employed by Jiji.

Did that dog just fart in front of Jiji's face?

"Now, now my dear, don't blame that poor little puppy, he's just a little dog, after all," granny chuckled at the hilarious situation while I gently took the little rascal out of Jiji's head.

"STOP LAUGHING YOU!" said Jiji as he runs toward the nearby sink to wash his face from the slobber.

"Maybe you two should know each other first, right?" said granny as the little dog now turned into an obedient little dog once more.

"THAT FUCKING MUTT WILL STAY WITH JOZUMA! I SWEAR THAT MUTT WILL EAT AN OVERDRIVE IF IT DARES TO ENTER OUR ROOM SUZIE!"

"Bad dog," I scold the naughty little dog as he just sits innocently at my side, oblivious with what he has done.

"Come on my dear, maybe your bad feeling is the fact that it will fart on your face. You actually side with Chompy when he poops on the indoor flowerpots, remember?"

"That was fifteen years ago dammit! And he poops on flowerpots, not fart on my face! And I can't really angry when Lalatina is just a four years old girl!"

"Well, while Lala is just a little girl, Holly is already married and having a son..." said granny as she now looks towards the photos again. "That's why it would be good for them to catch up... Now, if only our daughters were born closer in age..."

"That's your fault for getting pregnant too late when Holly was twenty-five, instead of back then when she's like... five!"

"That's because you whined a lot as soon as Holly starts dating Sadao. How your precious Holly will leave us to grow old alone to live on the other side of the globe. God heard all your daily whines so He gave us another daughter just to shut you up," said granny with a laugh.

"My grandfather whined to God?" I said while raising my eyebrows, knowing firsthand that Gods do exist, and thus Jiji must be particularly annoying to Jesus, with Darkness end up being his daughter.

"Yes my dear boy, I already told you that your grandfather whines and complains a lot, but that's why I love him at the first place," said granny with a carefree smile plastered on her face.

"Hey! Don't say that out loud in front of Jozuma dammit!" said Jiji as he fumed and quickly took his cup of coffee.

"Yeah, it was funny, with Jozuma being closer to Lala's age than Holly... Well Jozuma, do you want to stay here to accompany your aunt? She could use someone closer to her age than us, old folks..."

At that point, Jiji literally sprays his coffee directly upon my face, even as I only on catch the implication later.

"What's wrong my dear?" said granny as she is clearly very confused with Jiji's reaction.

"Nothing, just nothing..." Jiji grins as he looks awkwardly at me, "Just got choked on coffee, my dear..."

I just rolled my eyes and say nothing, this must be the result of not explaining our reincarnation problem to granny, after all, that she still think innocently about us while Jiji (and great-grandmother, and even my mother) thought that worse things already happened between us in our past life.

At least I could see clearly now, this little dog's expression is uncannily human-like as he put his paw in front of his snout to hide his laughter.

...

After taking a hot bath and get a fresh set of clothes (as my green overcoat was ruined by Jiji's coffee), I entered the guest room where I would spend the nights as I stayed at Jiji's house. The little dog already has its oversized bed placed under my bed, and he just laid himself there, laid under a comfy old blanket.

Oh well, this should be enough for today, and the maids did say that this little dog already takes his potty break outside so he should be 'safe'. Of course, Jiji did say that tomorrow, we would bring the mutt to the crime scene to look if he recognizes something, so...

"Goodnight little dog, wait, why aren't we gave you a name at the first place?"

Said dog only moves head slightly to the side, but nothing happens.

"Well, maybe I should let granny give you name. Yet you do remind me of Chomusuke... Should I name you Chomusuke?"

It seems that this dog already falls asleep, and there's no reaction...

Maybe I should wait until tomorrow to name him Chomusuke anyway?

...

 **New York, USA, 10 April 1986**

It was still dark when I was awakened due to some weird scratching sounds I heard coming from the window.

"Hey, little buddy, what's wrong? Do you need to go to potty or..." I said to the little dog, that stands near the window, but as I take a quick look outside, I notice a crumbling mound of dirt outside and...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"THE BEAST-CAR MONSTER!" I said as I summoned Whitesnake at my side.

Why did I must start the day by fighting that monster? I need my breakfast dammit!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 - Case Closed... Or Not...**

 **New York, USA, 10 April 1986**

"I told you the mutt is a bringer of bad news!" said Jiji as we look at the rather small mound of sand and dirt piled outside of the guest room window. Which is in itself raised a lot of question since the guestroom balcony is located on the tenth floor out of Jiji's twelve-story apartment house.

I take another look at the window, and still being amazed at how it has been partially dislodged by something pressing hard at its hinge from the outside.

"But that's not what I have in mind when I took this little dog, I just think he's cute, that's all!" I said as Jiji carefully scoop the sand and found it was really a normal sand.

...

"Nobody has been spotted scaling this building..." said Jiji after we look into the security footage of his house. "But then, where the hell someone could gather that many sands on this height."

"Well, that monster does seem significantly smaller than what we have seen yesterday, maybe it could be..."

"The monster is not a group of shapeshifting sand, the monster is just a sand construct, formed by a stand with sand manipulating powers," said someone from the doorway.

"Avdol, you shouldn't come here, your arm is not yet healed," said Jiji as he spotted Avdol standing under the door, his upper arm held in a cast.

"Don't worry about me, the doctor said that this is just a minor fracture," said Avdol as he smiled. "Catching the perpetrator must be our highest priority."

"If that's just a fracture, I could heal that with Hamon at the first place... I thought that was a major fracture and I am quite rusty with the art anyway," muttered Jiji as he let Avdol sit on a nearby chair.

"That stand could be a long distance stand, enabling the stand user to manipulate it from a significant distance," said Avdol as he looks deeply into the small mound. "That way, all the stand user need to do is hide and control the monster from afar. But something still bugs me..."

"What was that Avdol?"

"Jozuma's stand is a long ranged one, but even long range stand still have their limitations. He could control his stand up to twenty meters distance, but the height of the balcony already took thirty meters from the ground. And from what I see, this stand is also a very powerful one, so that should rule out extremely long-range stands as those would be rather weak in power."

"That means whoever behind this, must be already inside..." said Jiji as he scratches his beard. "But there's also a possibility that whoever is behind this actually use their stand from a nearby building, even if they should have no way to know where Jozuma and the dog sleep."

"That's why we need to question everyone present here..." said Avdol with a confident tone. "It means that we only need to single him or her out, and with our suspect being a stand user..."

"Ah I get it, but who? I think I know everyone working in this building, but..."

"Appearance could be deceptive Mr. Joestar, and said beast-car monster was only spotted here, at Manhattan, right? That means someone who works for you at the first place could be the culprit."

...

"Are you certain that you see that monster outside of your window my dear?" said granny after we basically rounding up and checked every maids and servant present here, and the security guards too, just to be sure, but we still found nothing. "This is midday already, and nobody has been permitted to went out of this house..."

"And now we back to zero again, this just didn't add up," said Jiji, visibly frustrated with the lack of progress in this investigation.

"But let's be fair here, we have found that nobody except you two could see Whitesnake here," I said while Avdol just shook his head.

"And nobody at the Penn Station reports about the reappearance of that beast-car monster too," said Avdol with a sigh. "If anything, we can't really pinpoint the location of the stand user this way..."

"Perhaps whoever is behind this doesn't do this from the inside but from the outside?" said Jiji as this case seems to be impossible by itself. "Either across the alleyway or even across the road?"

"Maybe, but we can't be sure..." said Avdol as Jiji calls the SPW Security staffs to procure security footage from nearby buildings, and also keep their eyes on any suspicious person nearby.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

"And tell that mutt to not smirk at me like that, and Suzie, stop giving it chewing gums!" said Jiji as he points out to the innocent little dog that sits on my side, blowing some coffee-flavored chewing gums again as granny watch him with amusement.

"Come on Jiji, stop being irrational with this poor little puppy," I said as I notice that the little dog did smile, but maybe that's the side effect of a dog chewing that many chewing gum at once.

"Master Joseph! Master Joseph! Someone suspicious has been spotted running away from the building across the road!" said Roses the butler as he went into the living room. "From the footage, the man has a shoulder length blonde hair, wears a cowboy hat, and just spotted run away from the building across the road,"

"And that must be our clue!" said Jiji as we run out of the security room. "Avdol, you wait here with the mutt, tell the security to guard it at all cost!"

"Yes, Mr. Joestar."

...

The security staff gave us the footage about that suspicious man, sure enough, he is a man of above-average height and medium build, but with a cowboy hat like this in downtown New York City, nonetheless...

"He will stick out like a sore thumb!" I said as we literally walk into the alleyway, where the suspicious man was seen running into. "But why not we just tell the SPW Security guards to catch the man and..."

"Because he could be either a dangerous stand user or actually just an innocent squatter. The Apartment across the road is old and ill-maintained, there have been reports of squatters in the past, so I think..."

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

We barely avoid the sudden barrage of gunshots coming from the darker part of the alley as we dive behind the nearby trash container.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"He's definitely not innocent, and now that is definitely a hostile one!" I said to Jiji as while having a stand power is great, I still have no experience going against guns, but as this is America, I knew that I should expect them at the first place. "Jiji, you do carry a pistol on your person, right?"

"Well, why carry a pistol as you could carry... THIS!" said Jiji as he whips out a freaking Tommy gun, complete with the drum magazine from under his coat, before spraying the darker path of the alleyway with the rapid-firing submachinegun. "EAT LEAD MOTHERFUCKER!"

*DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA*

"WHAT THE FUCK!" I heard someone cursing at us as he runs into the dark corner. And yes, this does prove that American adventurers are hardcore, I come here expecting a proper 'stand fight' and end up in a gunfight after all.

And so, this is the cliche western standoff, and I swear I hear a gust of wind in the wilderness as the time pass in silence.

"Use your stand to flank him and watch out for the beast-car monster. Bullets can't harm stands anyway," whispers Jiji as he orders me to make my move. "Once the beast-car monster shows up, try to hold it while I deal with the stand user."

"But what if..."

"You knew for yourself that physical attacks cannot harm your stand unless that's part of another stand!"

And thus, I reluctantly sent Whitesnake to move toward the dark corner. Jiji did assure me that bullets won't harm stand, and I should look more to meet that beast-car monster anyway, so...

*BANG* *BANG*

I didn't even see how that motherfucker fired his gun without showing himself, and how bullets turned out to be harmful to my stand as I fall and clutch my left foot.

"What an idiot!" said a man who appears from the corner of the alleyway, with a weird looking revolver at his hand. "A weak stand like you can't hope to match The Emperor! Even if you bring a real gun into the stand fight! And to think that I should lay low as Centerfold is currently going back home..."

I could see him clearly now, he has a blonde, neck-length hair, dimples in his cheeks and cleft chin. He wears mostly light-colored clothes with a loose sleeveless top on top of dark undershirt, he also wears a cowboy hat, just like the description coming from the security footage!

"Real gun?" I whispered through Whitesnake, but this damned Cowboy just shoots at Whitesnake's foot, again.

*BANG*

"FUCK! Is your gun your stand too?"

"Of course you moron, this is my Stand! THE EMPEROR! And the bullets I just fired is also part of the stand too!" the fucker gloats in front of Whitesnake as he has already won. "And to think that you a..."

"THIS MEANS WAR!" shout Jiji as he fired a long burst toward the cowboy, and this time, it really takes him by surprise.

*DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA* *DAKKA*

Jiji's burst ends up mangling the fucker's right hand as said gun literally disappears from his hand.

"YOU BASTARD!" suddenly that weird revolver appears at the fucker's left hand as he tried to shot at Jiji, but before he could do anything, ignoring the pain, Whitesnake managed to pull the motherfucker down and wrestle him on the ground. Successfully grabbing his only good arm with one hand, and with the other hand, get a good hold upon the motherfucker's head.

"Sayonara you son of a bitch!" Whitesnake said that as he pulls the two discs out of the fucker's head as the later soon falls into unconsciousness, the weird revolver gone out of sight.

...

"Dammit Jiji, as soon as I come back to Japan, I will wake Aqua up to heal my leg, consequences be damned!" I limped to the unconscious cowboy as Jiji still calls for the SPW medic to come to our place.

"Calm down Jozuma, at least you are not shot by real bullets," said Jiji with a sheepish grin after he put off the brick-sized phone he carried inside his coat. "Never thought that this bastard would have a gun stand at the first place. Luckily for us, he is a moron."

"Should I shot your leg so that you will feel the same way?"

"Well, you must know that Hamon could be also used to heal... I might be a bit rusty with them, but as your wounds are only flesh one..." said Jiji as he put his hand on my wounded leg, and crackles of yellow lights could be seen as I felt something warm poured on my leg. "It should be better now, not perfect, but..."

I lift my left leg and try walking with it, there's still a bit of pain, but the limp is now gone.

"Geez, I still prefer Aqua's..."

...

Ignoring the now dull pain in my left foot, I inspect the discs Whitesnake took from the head of this fucking cowboy gunslinger.

"Hol Horse? What a weird name..." I said as I look at the disc with the fucker's face on top, and at the other disc, I could see [EMPEROR] printed on top of it.

"That must be his stand disc..." said Jiji as he took the [EMPEROR] disc out of my hand. "Maybe I could use it like I used Avdol's... Wait, where is the beast-car monster and why did he did not use it against us?"

"Maybe because he is an idiot?"

"Or maybe because he's just a squatter and..."

"We attacked the wrong guy?"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

And then, we realized that we might very well end up attacking just a random criminal, albeit the one that turned out to be yet another stand user, but...

"HOLY SHIT!"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 - Another Can Of Worms**

 **New York, USA, 10 April 1986**

"Isn't this meant Speedwagon Foundation doing illegal imprisonment?" I whispered to Jiji as we saw SPW personnel carrying the unconscious cowboy into one of the secure containment room at the New York branch of Speedwagon Foundation.

"Heh, the Speedwagon Foundation has been in international supernatural business since 1910, back when uncle Speedwagon himself is still at the helm. As the biggest international contractor on supernatural affairs, we have rights and responsibilities to secure, contain, and protect," said Jiji with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Oh, I see... Just wondering since to everyone who can't see stands, this accident might be taken as an eccentric Billionaire Tommy-gunning an unarmed man," I snickered while Jiji's frown shows that he is not amused. "I meant, how did you manage to carry that Tommy Gun without anyone noticing at the first place?"

"That's my trick since I first come to New York, I already told you about Straizo, remember?" Jiji just smirks and shrug his shoulder without truly answering my question, before pulling out the disc with [EMPEROR] written on it. "Anyway, if this is his stand, what's the other disc is all over about?"

"Oh? This disc?" I said while showing him the disc with that Cowboy's face upon it.

"Hol Horse... Wait... Did that disc just give me a glimpse on... Hold on, what is that disc anyway?" said Jiji in confusion.

"His memories, from what I knew, looking at that gave you glimpses of his memories, you could try reading this by putting it inside your head," I offered Jiji the memory disc but I notice that his confusion only grew, and soon, I realizes that I never really told anyone else but Megumin about the true extent of my stand powers that I have discovered.

Sure, to anyone else, my stand, aside of being a long-distance punch ghost, could only steal other stands into discs, but I've never told Jiji (or Avdol, or great-grandmother for that matter) about the Memory discs since they never question it at the first place.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Of course, I realized that the implication of being capable to learn somebody's deepest secret by force is a very unpleasant one. I could see Jiji's face turned grim as he looks over the memory disc of Hol Horse before his expression suddenly changed.

"HOLY SHIT! If only you said that earlier! We could practically solve this case by simply looking at that mutt's memories!" said Jiji with a wide grin on his face, realizing the very obvious way to solve the beast-car monster case.

"Well? You didn't found my powers disturbing?"

"I found your relations with Lalatina far more disturbing!" said Jiji as he laughs bitterly about the accident we have last Tuesday.

"That's not the issue here! She's the one at fault dammit!"

"Anyway, this disk..." Jiji's attention turned back toward the memory disc before pointing in his own head. "Go in this? Care to give me an example?"

"Well, it did feel weird at first, but it was just kind of seeing a film made of someone's memory," I said while taking the memory disc from Jiji's hand and put it inside my head.

...

Born as Holton Horsmann, youngest son of a struggling Texas rancher, Hol horse was orphaned when he was just a teenager after a group sent by a Mexican Cartel massacred his family. Survived only because he manifested his stand to kill the murderers of his family, he contacted the Police to tell them about what happened, but the very same Police force has been receiving bribes from Juarez and the young Holton soon found the police trying to imprison him on the false charge of massacring his own family.

Enraged with the injustice, but too tired from the previous fight, he soon found himself forced into a standoff against the corrupt Police officers. And while nobody could see his 'magic gun', it was by no means an invincible weapon, and trick shots could only get himself so far when he still grasping the true extent of his stand powers.

Help comes to him, however, with the Police being suddenly killed, one by one from stab wounds at their backs. At first, he thought that whatever killed the Police might end up killing him too, but soon, a balding man appears and told him that his magic gun is actually his stand, as he himself has similar powers. The man then introduces himself as Centerfold J. Geil, a humble assassin, and he asks the young Holton if he were interested in becoming one as he is currently looking for a partner. Feeling indebted to the older man, young Holton agrees and from the point on, they become the deadly assassin duo from the point on.

Of course, Hol Horse was not disturbed by the fact that Centerfold was hired to kill the Police Commissioner by the rival gang, but the very fact that Centerfold raped and killed said Commissioner's daughter first did disturb him, but he agrees that as he chooses his career to become a criminal, and he has a life debt to him, he feels that he can't choose on that matter. Centerfold did promise Hol Horse that he will refrain from killing any girls Hol Horse personally knew, and that gave him some sort of motivation to knew as many girls as possible if only to spare them from the 'fun time' of his partner.

...

From Hol Horse's memory, I learned that his mysterious partner has been far longer involved in the stand-based assassination business. A man born with two right hands, J. Geil's stand power is the Hanged Man, a light-based stand that could be summoned and persist only inside of reflections. It has powers to manipulate and attack whatever is inside the reflection and said action would be transferred to the real world.

Anyway, after finishing their recent job, Hol Horse's partner has been called back home over a family business. His partner did suggest Hol Horse lay low at the safe house, that happened by coincidence to be an apartment just across the road from Jiji's house, and would be content to spend his days waiting, as he has enough money to be spent by visiting nightclubs and trying his luck at seducing women. Earlier this day, he just wants to spend his day lying in bed due to a particularly bad hangover, but then, the apartment's security guards break into his room due to Speedwagon Foundation asking said building's security footage, and he has been outed as a squatter.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

"Well, I do feel bad for him, he's just an innocent with regards to our case. Yes, he's a professional assassin, but he seems unrelated to the beast-car monster," I give Jiji Hol Horse's memory disc.

"Innocent professional assassin? That's an oxymoron!" said Jiji as he reluctantly put the disc inside of his head. Jiji closes his eyes for a time before he opened his eyes again as he pulls the disc out of his head. "Well, Avdol should see this at the first place... It seems that another group is also interested in this stand business in the first place. I have a feeling that we just opened a can of worms by consulting this guy's memories."

...

Back at Jiji's house, we went directly to the security room to met Avdol, but while Avdol is here, he just said that since the Speedwagon foundation did calls earlier about the suspect's capture, Granny took the little dog to play with her.

"Well, here goes Suzie again... But at least nothing notable happened, yes?" Jiji questioned his butler.

"Madam Suzie did say that the dog's name is now Caesar, but so far nothing ha..."

"CAE-SAAAAAAAAARRR!" Jiji suddenly screams before he shook his butler's shoulders. "What the hell is my wife thinking? Naming that mutt after our dear friend Caesar! Where is she?"

"Madam Suzie is at the living room..." said the butler awkwardly as he didn't know why Jiji is suddenly upset. I do remember that Jiji said something about his friend Caesar who died at the hands of the Pillar Man Wamuu, but why did he end up so worked up by that simple name?

Jiji stomps into the lift and mentioned to me to follow suit. Well, I didn't have any choice so...

"DAMMIT SUZIE! Of all possible names, why did you name him Caesar?" said Jiji as he stomps into the living room, where said dog is currently asleep on the couch, with half-blown bubbles of chewing gums splattered around. "And why the hell you permit this dog to put those chewing gums EVERYWHERE?"

"I have my reasons, Joseph darling, our puppy's demeanor did remind me of Caesar, he does put his bubbles everywhere..." said granny with a smile on her face. "And we did promise to name our son Caesar, so I think this might be the right choice for..."

"Dammit! That name is reserved if we get a son! NOT FOR A RANDOM MUTT!" said Jiji.

"But he has no name and we need to call him..." said granny before I cut her off.

"I already named him Chomusuke last night," I joined at my grandparent's oh-so-loving discussion about the name, trying to calm Jiji down as he seems upset by granny named the dog as 'Caesar' of all things. "I am the one who found and protect him anyway, so I think I should have the rights to name him."

"What an idiot name Jozuma! This dog is an American dog, at least you should name him Chompy!"

"Or Caesar, it fits him more!" said Granny.

"Chomusuke is not an idiot name!" I am offended that Jiji deems the name given by Megumin to her demonic pet cat as an 'idiot name'.

"You Japanese and your weird Japanese names! This mutt should be named Chompy and nothing else!"

"No! Our puppy should be named Caesar!"

"Chomusuke!"

"CAESAR!"

"CHOMPY!"

"CHOMUSUKE!"

"CAESAR!"

"CHOMPY!"

"CHOMUSUKE!"

"CAESAR!"

"CHOMPY!"

"CHOMUSUKE!"

"CAESAR!"

"CHOMPY!"

"CHOMUSUKE!"

I could see that the little dog in question has been awakened by our little dispute, and he just sit there, laughing at our antics.

"WAIT... Why the hell did we end up getting so worked up just because this stupid little mutt need a name?" said Jiji as he slapped his forehead. "We need to get this mutt's memory! But you still should never name him Caesar! Think what will mama said about that!"

"But I thought you have apprehended the suspect?" said Granny in confusion as she moves to take the little dog in her arms. "And why can't we name him Caesar? It's not like we might have another child anyway, so..."

"Hey buddy, you do hear what I said last night yes?" I said while scratching the dog's chin. "You agree that your name is Chomusuke, right?"

"Dammit Jozuma, we will get into nowhere if we keep running in a circle like this..." said Jiji as he shook his head. "Fine, I give up, maybe Jozuma was right, this mutt's name shall be Chomosuck, err Chomp Chomp Suck, Chomp Chomp Sake, err... whatever!"

"It's Chomusuke, Cho-Mu-Su-Ke!"

I could swear that I saw the little dog's face is unamused with the name as he looks upon us as if we are a bunch of idiots, but maybe that's just my...

"NOW! I saw it again! That damned mutt mocks us!" shouted Jiji as he points out toward the now confused dog.

"Of course he mocked both of you dears, you are both so unreasonable, I think we should still name him Caesar!" said Granny.

"Uh, whatever! We still need this mutt's memory dammit!" said Jiji as he shook his head. "You two could name him whoever you want, but the first thing must go first!"

"Hmm... You need him to recognize the suspect?" said granny as she nuzzled the little dog. "Then let me accompany him, whoever did that to this poor puppy..."

"Jozuma, just take that mutt's memory..." said Jiji with a sigh, apparently understood that at this rate, we will end up arguing non-stop about how to name this dog, so...

"Careful granny..." I said as I softly took the little mutt into my arms.

"Well, I could be the one carrying him, but..." said Granny as I took the little dog, who is confused about what to happen. But then I summoned Whitesnake and the little dog panicked, thrashing in my arms, trying his best to run and... "OUCH MY HAND!"

This damned mutt bites my hand, but Jiji is faster to realize what happened and quickly hold the damned mutt's head as the mutt yelped, trying to escape our hands.

"JOZUMA! JOSEPH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" granny trying to reach the poor puppy, but Jiji managed to prevent her from reaching the dog as Whitesnake put his hand around the little dog's head.

For some reasons, there is dust flying around this room, and I swear those might actually start to coalesce into something as Whitesnake concentrates to extract this mutt's memories, but maybe that's just our imagination over some lazy maids who forgot to properly vacuum the room.

"Don't worry about the mutt! And you should ask Veronica if she really vacuuming this room!" said Jiji in irritation while granny still trying to wrestle the little dog from our grasp.

"YEEELLPPP!" *PLOP*

Two discs appear at Whitesnake's hand, and...

"TWO DISCS?" both me and Jiji is equally surprised with this unexpected development. Even as granny finally took the unconscious body of the little dog from our hands as we already secured the discs.

"JOSEPH? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY PUPPY? WHY DID THOSE THINGS FLY OUT FROM MY PUPPY'S HEAD?" said granny as she grabs Jiji's collar with one hand while we both stares blankly into the second disc carried at Whitesnake's hand.

What we see is unbelievable, instead of just one disc with the little dog's portrait, there's another disc with said beast-car monster inside with words [THE FOOL] printed on top of it.

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"Turns out he already have a name, his name is Iggy..." said Jiji as we look upon the other disc.

"Isn't this the most anticlimactic way to solve this case?" I muttered to myself while Jiji is still trying hard to calm the enraged granny.

...

 ***** SIDESTORY *****

 **Sidestory 2 - A story of an ugly girl**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 11 April 1986**

"Well, how do you feel about your new watch?" I whispered to my girlfriend as we stroll through the downtown, the new silver-white wristwatch proudly displayed on her wrist.

"Ah, that did accentuate your shiny nail polish," I replied after she teases me by showing her fingers.

"Hmmm... You want for us to get a little snack before we go home?"I look at the direction pointed by my girl. "Good choice, I heard that Yakitori stall is one of the best in Tokyo, maybe we should try then."

...

This is indeed one of the most ideal places to hold a quick romantic dinner without anyone bothering us, even if it was merely over some sticks of Yakitori and a can of beer. We sat on a riverside bench, looking at the dark, starlit water, as the thin crescent of the moon barely peeking over the horizon. It would be the perfect, quiet night if not for the rhythmic sound of waves crashing on the riverbanks.

Sure, Tokyo Bay has its own charm, yet I must admit that it can't really compete with Morioh's beauty. Too bad, I'm currently a student and thus, must spend some of my precious time away from Morioh.

This place is rather dark, but that's not a problem for us. The trees and bushes of the greenway meant this area is popular jogging area at morning and also has a sizeable number of people enjoying their lunch here. Yet, the minimum lighting did cause this little piece of heaven to be mostly deserted at night, as many superstitious people claimed that there are ghosts haunting this place.

"I must say that this is surprisingly good," I said as I munched the Yakitori and savor the taste. Picking a big chunk of the chicken, I teased my girlfriend...

"Do you want some?" I put the meat on her smooth fingers, letting her savor the taste as her fingers slide across the meat. "This is good, right, hmmm?"

The Yakitori sauce glistens around the curve of her finger, as the chunk of chicken resting on top of them. What a beautiful dinner we have today.

"You do want to share? Hmmm?" the meat hangs from her fingers as she dares me to eat it, so I took the meat by my tongue and sucked the sauce out of her smooth, silky fingers. "Ahhh... That's naughty of you..."

"You want more? Well?" I said as my girlfriend put her fingers even deeper in my mouth. Even deeper as her finger wrestles with my tongue even more, even as I felt something throbbing inside of my pants. "But... but... that's indecent... Are you sure we could do that here?"

I looked around for the signs of possible intrusions, and I felt a bit dejected when I heard some footsteps and the unmistakable sounds of girls chatting with each other, and it does sound weird to hear...

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"English? Well, looks like those are tourists..." I said to my girlfriend as that means no more outdoor fun for today.

Well, better keep it safe and clean, attracting public attention in Tokyo would be bad, so I zip my pants and put by girlfriend back inside my bag. The fun could wait a private time back at home.

Finishing the last of the yakitori, as an upstanding Citizen, I placed the bamboo skewers inside the properly folded cardboard tray and put them inside the proper trash compartment after the meal. After all, we are responsible to keep our environment clean.

Taking one last peek on my girlfriend, I straightened my shirt and walk out of the greenway, bag firmly tucked under my arm and beer in hand. If anyone happens to look at me, I shall be nothing more than a young student simply enjoying the night view of the Tokyo Bay.

...

Walking out of the greenway, I see that the two girls are indeed gaijins, but why did they seem familiar?

Well, not my problem, 'coercing' western foreigner to be my girlfriend would not worth the risk as they tend to elicit massive search if they were missing. Should just ignore them and they would ignore...

"ONII-SAMA!"

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I suddenly found my little sister running towards me, hugging my waist as I am at loss of why did she does not sleep like a good girl, or 'playing' with her boyfriend for that matter, at this late hours.

"M... Megumi-chan?" I awkwardly looking around, expecting Jozuma-kun to be around. Well, maybe I have the unfortunate timing to intrude on their own private fun and all this was just innocent pretendings between us. "You shouldn't go outside at such late night like this!"

"Ah Yoshikage-san, I'm sorry, that was me who ask Megumin-chan to accompany us at the first place," said Mrs. Kujo, who walk with another gaijin girl at her side.

Well, the first thing I notice from the new Gaijin girl is how ugly and man-like she is. Her arms are muscular instead of lithe like a proper woman, her hands have callouses as if she used those for crude, menial works like repeatedly break stones with her bare fists, and her nails... oh Gods, her nails are straight up crude and unpolished. I winced imagining that those hands have much more in common with a crude wall-breaking sledgehammer than the instrument of fine arts.

Of course, the ugly gaijin quickly realize that I judge her ugliness and look at her hand, never realizing how ungainly they are. Even as she tried to make me focus upon her awkward and unseemly large bosom instead.

"Megumin?" said the ugly gaijin girl. "Who is he and what's wrong with my hand?"

"He is my older brother Yoshikage, I told you already," chirped Megumi-chan like a dutiful little girl, and the woman shoves her ugly hand to shook mine.

"My name is D... Lala..." said the ugly girl awkwardly and with a clumsy pause before she managed to found her wit again. "Lalatina Joestar, I'm Holly's younger sister."

"La... Lalatina? What a beautiful name... Lalatina..." I sarcastically replied as while the name Lalatina is a poetic beauty in itself, having that name attached to such an ugly, man-like girl is indeed jarring. "My name is Kira Yoshikage."

I make sure that the handshake is short and chaste, I do not want her to think wrong feelings about me.

"T... Thank you, but you could just call me Lala instead of my full name," the ugly woman stuttered, apparently thinking that my sarcastic reply is a praise.

"There's no need to hide the fact that the name Lalatina is indeed a beauteous one, a name that often exceeds the expectations, I studied literature, after all," I said sarcastically as it seems that this ugly girl must have a very thick skull, capable to easily bash through walls underneath her long blonde hair. "It invokes both senses of melody and alliteration."

"I... I..." the ugly girl have her face turned red on my insult, and I do notice that her face did resemble Mrs. Kujo somewhat. Of course, they were sisters, but while Mrs. Kujo is an average looking woman, her sister is just outright ugly.

Well, as she continues to fume, it seems that her skull might be not as thick as I expected, but then I think this should be enough to give her a firm first impression that she has no worth in front of my eyes.

"So, Mrs. Kujo... Jozuma-kun, where is he?" I look around, expecting him to be in agreement about my assessment of this ugly girl, but...

"Jozuma is with his grandfather right now, my family just recently come to visit Japan," said Mrs. Kujo.

"Oh..." oh well, maybe I just interrupt their girls' night out, and as this was clearly not my place, getting away as soon as possible should be in order. "Well, I hope that you all will enjoy the night view of the Tokyo Bay... And please send my regards to Aqua-san."

I exchanged polite bows with Mrs. Kujo, expecting for our unexpected meeting to end, but much to my surprise.

"I'm sorry to impose, Yoshikage-san, but do you know a nice restaurant near here?"

"Well, I do know an excellent Teppanyaki restaurant near here, Mrs. Kujo."

"Could you drive us there, onii-sama?" said Megumi-chan so suddenly, and I froze.

No... Please... No...

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...

I do feel that my little sister could be too much, time after time, but then, a good older brother would always gladly help his little sister. My car is clean after all, and the useless parts of my current girlfriend have been safely removed in a place where nobody could track them back to me.

Then, Mrs. Kujo insists that I should take part in their dinner in exchange for the transportation. I just wish that I could simply tell her about my planned 'fun time' with my girlfriend, but not everyone is open-minded enough about that. Of course, having no valid reason to refuse my involvement, I end up sitting with them inside the Maihama Teppanyaki, sitting at Megumi-chan's side, trying to position myself as far as possible from the ugly girl.

"~Ah~! This almost as tasty like ~Jozuma's~ own cooking back then!" said the ugly girl as she put the steaming hot, charred meat directly into her mouth. "~Uff!~ And this ~Wasabi~ is just too ~good~!"

"Lala, Teppanyaki is not typically eaten with wasabi, let alone that much," said Mrs. Kujo, scolding her ugly sister's weird choice of food. "And please use chopsticks to take them from the griddle instead of directly using your hand."

"But the griddle is ~hot~!" said the ugly girl with an idiotic grin.

Looking at the antics of such uncouth, barbaric woman, I could only sigh and focus on eating my own portion. At least I could try to minimize the contact with her, so...

"Hey... You... Could I call you Yoshikage?" said the ugly girl so suddenly as I winced at how easily she minced my name. "Mmm... Feels like you are a demon lord underneath your skin, hiding something ~dark~ and ~evil~ from the outside world!"

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I froze in my place at this accusation, why did this ugly girl suddenly talked like that, and...

"My heart ~trembles~ just like when I face the army of Demons! Excited at how you would ~torture~ me to fulfill your ~most debauched~ desire..." said the ugly girl with a slur and I could smell the strong sake she just consumed... Apparently she already drunk two bottles of them.

"Lala! I told you to not drink that *much* sake!" said Mrs. Kujo, apparently scandalized with her sister's uncouth words.

"Uh, I'm sorry Onii-sama, but you do realize that she is Darkness, right? The very same Darkness I used to tell you about?" said Megumi-chan as she whispers on my ear. "I'm sorry if she said that, her parents didn't let her drink because she's still underage in America."

"You meant your *masochist* friend who charges at the first sign of danger to take all the pain and hope she will be captured and tortured?" I whispered to Megumi-chan and she just nods at my statement.

"Oh well..."

I sighed as this means I get a very different set of problems than what I expect, but still, with an ugly girl like this... I think it would be best to deny her any chance, so...

"Why did Aqua-san didn't come here as well, this is night time and youkai like her shouldn't have any problem blending with people here, right?" well, the truly proven method to invoke interest in another, third woman that both parties knew about, is one way to escape potentially disastrous relationship with a woman. Now if only this girl has neither ugly hands nor being related to Jozuma-kun...

"Oh, Aqua..." said Megumi-chan awkwardly as she looks at the ugly girl and shrugs her shoulder.

"She is with my grandmother," said Mrs. Kujo awkwardly. "Well, she's helping around the house."

"Oh?" Well, that must be the proper explanation, I do know that elderly people often end up with a weak constitution, and thus need help around the clock. Mrs. Kujo's grandmother would be no exception then. "I hope that it would not bother her too much, having elderly family from overseas visiting should give you a lot of work to do."

"Well... Thank you for your consideration," said Mrs. Kujo awkwardly, it seems that her household chores must end up being tripled or worse, despite having a youkai to help her.

...

Luckily for me, dinner ends with no further accident, aside of that ugly drunk girl trying to burn her ugly hands on the griddle several times.

Of course, as politeness dictate, I offer to drive them back to the Kujo house, but with that many construction vehicles parked at the road nearby, I was forced to drop them some distance away from the house.

I do notice that the ugly girl keep looking at me, and I realize that having her attention might only lead to future problems. So well, at least Aqua-san is a youkai and she won't end up taking things like a mere human, isn't she?

"So Megumi-chan, remember to focus on your school first... Promise me..." I said as they started to walk toward the Kujo House.

"Of course Onii-sama."

"Good, give my regards to your boyfriend and Aqua-san, won't you?" I said with a wink before hitting the gas.

I could see that the ugly girl's face turns redder afterward.

I hope I will never, ever, met her again.

That ugly girl definitely gave me goosebumps.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 - A Little Dog's Tale, The Nightmare**

 **New York, USA, 11 April 1986**

"Heh, I was right all along, if only you believe me that this mutt only acts cute because he tried to scam us," Jiji smirked as he finished examining the memory of that damned mutt, much to my own shame of being so gullible at the first place. "You and your grandmother are easy targets for quick food and comfortable shelter for that mutt, even as he already planned his escape plan as soon as he entered my house."

"But if I kicked him out like what you said earlier, we won't end up capturing the King of New York Street Dogs at the first place!" I retorted while Jiji took off the memory disc from his head and putting it back to the table.

Well, yesterday's hijinks did remind me of certain tranquility monsters I've encountered in the past, only this one is really a cute little dog who tries to scam people to give him free food and other stuff, instead of a monster trying to eat unwary adventurers. Still gave me familiar pangs of disbelief thinking that all his cuteness is just an act to blindside us in the end.

"That's because you got lucky, waking up as soon as he tries to sneak out. Well, you do have a point but... Hey Suzie, stop being sad for that damned mutt will you? He tried to scam you dammit!" said Jiji as he looks toward granny, who sat near the steel cage, looking at the unconscious mutt laid there since yesterday (as Iggy do still breathe despite his discs were taken out, and a dog wouldn't die because of a day without food anyway). "Avdol, why are you not simply let my wife examine Iggy's memory disc all by herself, sure I know that was somewhat disturbing, but we have seen worse, so..."

"I'm sorry Mr. Joestar, but the very fact that you are still being able to see stands should be calculated as a risk," said Avdol as he softly shook his head. "I already point out that having a stand could be harmful to anyone without the mental strength to wield it, and while your own is never in question, what will you do if your wife turned out to get the detrimental effects of the stand?"

"Well my dears, I believe what you say... There's no need to test it, but maybe you all should forgive this poor little puppy," said granny softly as she keeps looking toward the unconscious mutt inside the steel cage. "He didn't know anything better, and it's not like he has caused us any harm..."

"This should be a proof enough for you that this mutt is dangerous," Jiji immediately point out to the cast on Avdol's arm, being the victim of the beast-car monster the first night we arrive here.

"Uh... I meant to us Joseph, Iggy has been a good boy when he stays at our house..."

Jiji huffed and point out to the empty space where a couch is used to be there.

"That's only a couch my dear and it's not like..."

"He stained my favorite couch with those damned gums!"

"Calm down my dear, I'm sure that Alicia could clean it given enough time," said granny as I remembered the poor maids who must work hard with all those ice and manually picking those chewing gum stains.

"If there's a stain left on that couch, I'll neuter him myself, I promise!" said Jiji with a huff while granny just rolls her eyes hearing Jiji's outlandish threat. "Heh, neuter... And the police thought what happened was some sort of mafia-related crime due to the brutality."

"He only did that exactly once, remember? And like it or not, Iggy is not your average dog, he could think and act like a human, for Gods' sake!" I said while remembering the nightmare that is Iggy's memory disc, which is saying something because I too have read the memory of the professional assassin Hol Horse.

Of course, knowing the real story of the little dog Iggy from his perspective did give us a lot of interesting information at the first place...

...

Born in the autumn and having seen three winters in his life, Iggy remembered his first memory was the warm tongue of his mother licking his face, but the memory of her comforting smell is a short and fleeting one. He found himself being taken and then put in a cage with a glass face, where humans watch him from the other side, occasionally being taken out to be cuddled by strangers, mostly children...

He was bought by a man, who brings him in a box to the first home he ever knew, where said man's little daughter opened the box he lies within and proclaims him as the best Christmas present ever.

Here, he spent his life in happiness, the man, the woman, and the little girl all love and pamper him. The good old days where he could be content spending his time playing with the little girl, waiting for the man and woman to come home, and being a good family dog.

However, his happiness doesn't last long, and when the woman's belly started to bulge due to the existence of the cursed baby inside, it was the beginning of the end for Iggy's happiness. It starts slow, and initially, Iggy is not being aware that anything is amiss. At first, nothing really changes, safe for the man and woman is even more excited to see that their family will soon be having another member.

But everything changed when the damned cursed baby being spawned into this world. Unlike the other children that Iggy knew, said baby always wailing like a monster when Iggy is nearby. Unlike another human, the cursed baby has red blotches all around her skin when Iggy tried to be friendly by jumping to her coot and nuzzled her. Unlike all the other times when he nuzzled with the bigger little girl, the man and woman panicked over the red blotches and went out for some days, where he was left alone with the little girl and a grumpy old woman who presumably being there to take care of the little girl.

Then the curse of the cursed baby starts to affect him, the man and the woman come back without the cursed baby, telling the old woman that their baby is being allergic to dogs. The man tried to argue with the grumpy old woman that their dog could live at the yard, but the old woman actually demands him to be thrown out of the house rather than seeing her granddaughter sick. Long story short, Iggy soon found himself being placed in a cage with some of his favorite toys, with the man and the little girl tearfully put him on the accursed, evil place where he gained 'The Fool'.

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Yes, I do could read the board of the shelter in Iggy's memory as being one of the 'ASPCA No-Kill Shelter'.

At first, the evil shelter workers did promise him that they would get him a new home, and even the man and the little girl did come around to play with him two times afterward, even if it only pains Iggy more as they are certainly still missed him very much. Of course, there are other dogs in this shelter, but being a small dog, he ends up being bullied by those larger than him.

Of course, soon after the man and the little girl tell him that this is their final goodbye, the evil shelter workers show their true, evil and perverse color. The day afterward, the evil vet come, and the evil workers start putting some of the dogs, Iggy included, inside some small steel cages rather than letting them play at the large, fenced yard like usual. Initially, this seems to be some sort of usual vet visit, but then, Fido being taken inside the room later known as the torture room, only later emerges unconscious, with a cone on his neck, and his balls being nowhere to be found.

The perversity of those evil humans knows no bounds, with Hulk, the big dog who used to bully him being taken inside second and also emerges later with him being unconscious, a cone placed on his neck, and his balls are also missing.

Iggy then screamed, asking for the dogs who didn't get imprisoned inside the small cages, and one of the old dogs answer him that this is what the humans do when intact males were being sent to the shelter. They are getting neutered. Iggy thus realizes that those male dogs with their balls missing are not being defective from birth, but being deliberately mutilated by those evil humans.

Not wanting to have his balls forcibly ripped off, Iggy could only growl and howl in frustration. The sheer terror of what will happen to grip him as this is the most fearsome of his nightmares. The very fact that unless a miracle happens, he will die a virgin because those damn humans will take his balls for whatever nefarious reasons they might have. He then realizes that this ASPCA or whatever shady organization must be some kind of evil, demented, perverse cult worshipping a Dark God who demands dog balls as part of their sacrifices.

Iggy knew that he can't escape his fate without some sort of miracle, but then, that miracle happened anyway. Something happened in the sandboxes where they are told to put their poo into, as the sand starts to fly and formed the now familiar beast-car creature.

Acting only on instinct, Iggy quickly used the monster to break his cage, and then he used the chance to break the other dogs from their cage. He would be content to just escape if not for the evil vet and evil workers to bet out from their demented torture room, blades in hand as they scream at the beast-car creature.

Of course, within the room, Iggy could see the poor Rocco still laid helpless on the sacrificial table, his balls already being severed and put on a steel plate, proving that those evil men are indeed worshipper of some Dark Gods. But Iggy knew that his power is now greater than they, The Fool will make the evil humans pay, and with the righteous anger, the beast-car monster charged the evil vet and evil workers.

The evil humans tried to run, but the beast-car monster is faster and only grew larger and larger as more and more sand and dust brought him to even greater statures. He successfully pinned down the evil humans and gave his righteous judgment to them. He rips their pants off before delivering the most ironic punishment available, as The Fool torn their balls out and stuff them into their mouths to silence their screams.

The three evil men eventually died their deserved slow, lingering deaths as the dogs cheer upon their demise.

For being the savior of dog-kind, the other dogs were quick to recognize Iggy as their King, and thus begin the reign of the New York King of Street Dogs, where he could get all the bitches and being the undisputed alpha of the pack.

He still missed the days when he lives happily with the man, the woman, and the little girl though, so from time to time, he will often act cute to entice some kinder, or stupider humans to take him in and give him some food and comfort... Before escaping back to the street to continue his reign.

Now if only he could get all the comforts while getting all the bitches too...

...

I unconsciously grab my balls as I remember the particular scene. Well, from Iggy's point of view, he is obviously the hero fighting against the evil ASPCA and their ilk. But still, those men actually belong to animal welfare organization for Gods' sake...

"Well my dear, at least we should wake the poor Iggy first. Jozuma already deprive this poor puppy of his monster or whatever, he can't do any more harm without it," said granny softly.

"Heh, just be careful, the first thing he will do after being awakened would be obviously trying to attack us," said Jiji with a smirk. "And be careful with your balls near him."

I grinned while Whitesnake carefully opened the upper cage door, memory disc in hand. Before long, the memory disc has been put back inside Iggy's head, and the mutt stirs and yawned as the door was being closed.

Well, that goes with the theory that being deprived of both discs causes someone to be put into a coma, and putting memory disc back definitely restores them.

As soon as the mutt opened his eyes...

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"GROOOWLLL! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"

The now awakened and obviously pissed off little mutt is all for us to see, and Jiji was right, for the first thing said Mutt do is charging the door and trying desperately to bite Jiji's mocking face.

*CLANK* *CLANK*

"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!" *CLANK* "WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! GRRROOOOOOWWWLLLLLL!"

"And he's still obviously very angry with us..." said Avdol as the muscular bird-man at his side poke Iggy's head with his finger. Iggy apparently knew that Magician's Red is poking him as he tried futilely to bite him, but obviously, that gets him nowhere. "Wait, Mr. Joestar don't..."

"Hey, mutt! Looking for this?" said Jiji as he dangles the stand disc in front of the cage, causing Iggy's eyes to become comically enlarged upon recognizing what is inside the disc at Jiji's hand.

"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! GROOOWWWLLL... GRRROOOWWWWWWWLLLLLL!"

Jiji smirks as Iggy growled impotently inside of the cage while trying to reach the disc using his front paw. Of course, that ends up being a futile gesture because he just can't defeat the steel bars that made this cage being proper to hold a big-ass pitbull instead of a small dog like him.

"Well mutt, say bye-bye to your stand because a stand this powerful would be definitely wasted on a mutt like you!" said Jiji as he dangles the stand disc higher and closer to his head.

"Joseph, stop being such a jerk, please don't tease this poor puppy anymore. It's bad enough that you practically took his monster!"

"Well Suzie, you do reminds me to be a responsible dog owner this time," said Jiji as he calmly put the stand disc back to the desk, and take the phone. "Well, this mutt understands human speech, somehow, so..."

"What are you..." said granny while Iggy the mutt keeps trying to futilely break the steel cage.

"Hey Iggy, if you did not act like a good boy, I'll have you neutered!" said Jiji as he points out toward the little dog's behind with scissors, and much to our amusement, the little dog actually stops growling and start shaking. "Well good then, be a good boy and you will get a good home, be a bad boy and say bye-bye to your balls."

"Uiiikkkk..." whined the little dog as Jiji continue to make a threatening gesture with the scissors.

"Well good, and don't worry about your stand, I'll use that far better than you ever be!" boasted Jiji as he stops twirling the stand disc and prepares to insert it inside his head.

"Be careful Mr. Joestar! We are still not sure about the possible side effects! It would be more prudent for us to wait and..." said Avdol, trying to dissuade Jiji from putting [THE FOOL] stand disc inside of his head, but it's too late already so...

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"Well, now how the hell I summon that beast-car monster anyway?" said Jiji while dust starts flying around in this very room. "Oh well, I remember! I need sand! A lot of them!"

"Mr. Joestar, don't be that reckless!" said Avdol while Jiji called his butler Roses to provide him with a big bucket full of sand.

"Hey, I used yours earlier and nothing bad happens anyway, why can't I try this mutt's stand?"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 - Jiji and His Brand New Stand**

 **New York, USA, 11 April 1986**

"Ah, thank you Roses!" said Jiji as we look towards the big bucket full of sand.

Jiji seems to close his eyes and concentrate upon something, and as expected,

the sand in the bucket stirs and formed something. But instead of a beast-car monster, we expect...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Only the head formed, but the rest of the body stays as an amorphous mound of sand.

"Well? Move you beast-car whatever! Move Fool! Dammit, why this seems to be so easy when used by the mutt, but it... So... Heavy..." said Jiji, clearly exerting and trying to command the monster. Of course, said monster still looks rather half-assed, with the head and front paws partially formed, but the rest of its body is still an amorphous mass of sand. "Geez! You mutt! Stop laughing!"

Iggy snickered as he looked toward the amorphous mess that used to be his stand, and even as Jiji tried to exert his will until his eyeballs almost popped out from their sockets, it only seems like the sand monster formed, only to quickly turned into an amorphous mess of sand with just the head intact afterward. Of course getting really tired and hearing the dog laughing at him, Jiji ends up being really annoyed as he took the scissors from the table again.

"That's it mutt! Stop laughing or I'll cut your balls!"

"Uiiikkkk..." Iggy whined and his front paws comically covered his nether region.

"Mr. Joestar, maybe this is a bad idea," said Avdol as he looks with concern towards the half-formed stand made of sand. "The stand seems to exert extreme pressure upon you..."

"Let... Let me try... Hggghhh!" said Jiji, but instead of the stand properly forming, it just moves around and flails as it keeps being an amorphous mass of sand, save the head and some part of the front paws. And soon after it moves for a distance, the sand construct crumbled, spreading sand everywhere in this room.

*COUGH* *COUGH* *COUGH*

I coughed over the sand and dust who flies everywhere in this room, and so does granny, Avdol, and Roses. At our side, Jiji's breath ragged as if the stand itself is too heavy to be used by him, even if the mutt Iggy seems to laugh himself off again.

"Dammit... Dammit... Why I could use Avdol's stand more or less intuitively while this mutt's stand feels so damn heavy to even move around..." Jiji's breathing becomes harder and harder as he tried yet again to concentrate on the pile of sand, but instead of something forming, it only coalesced into one single mound of sand. "Dammit... This... Can't... Happen..."

*GURGLE* *GRRRKKK*

"Woof... Woof... Uuuuiii..."

That sounds definitely coming from the Mutt, and he is very definitely using his front paw to rub his own belly and pointing to his mouth. Obviously signing to us that he is hungry and need someone to give him some food. Of course, looking at how Iggy put a human-like action like this...

"Maybe this poor boy should eat first, he hasn't eaten anything since yesterday..." said granny as she looks toward the mutt, who only smirks at us in response.

"NO FOOD FOR YOU UNTIL I COULD USE YOUR STAND!"

"Joseph, please, you took this puppy's stand and you don't even have the decency to give him food?" said Granny, much to Jiji's annoyed frown.

"Mr. Joestar, remember the time when you use my Magician's Red and you felt it longs to return?" said Avdol, seemingly having an idea about what happened. "The stand must still have some sort of spiritual tie with its original owner, and maybe the heaviness is over the fact that this dog is being hungry. Because of this dog is currently hungry, the stand would be far harder to be used."

"What?" said Jiji with an incredulous look on his face before it turns to resignation. "Well mutt, you win this time! Roses get this mutt some meat!"

"Uiii... Woof!" said Iggy with his tail wagging, apparently, he agreed with Avdol's theory.

...

"Well that's it, the mutt must be full now," said Jiji after we spent an hour watching for Iggy to eat and then fall asleep, having no care with what happened around him even if he stays inside the steel cage. "Should I wake him up or..."

"Perhaps it would be better if he stays asleep first, you do first use Magician's Red when I am being unconscious, so..."

"Well, I'm sure he would be a good boy, we'll take him to the rooftop to play there, just like Chompy," said granny while Roses and some maids helping by carefully lifting the cage, with the sleeping mutt stays inside. "But well, I do remember Avdol saying something about mental strength required so if you..."

"SHUT UP SUZIE!" said Jiji, clearly annoyed with the implication that he has less mental strength than a little dog. "GET THIS MUTT AWAY FROM MY FACE!"

"Well... But you seem to can't use this puppy's stand or whatever... So..."

"GET OUT!"

"Alright, alright my dear..." granny smiled as she closes the door.

Of course, then Jiji's still annoyed face turned at me, and I could barely hide my grin about the implication that Jiji has lesser mental strength compared to a dog.

"STOP SMILING LIKE THAT YOU DOLT! I SWEAR I WILL BROKE THIS STAND TO MY WILL!"

"Mr. Joestar, perhaps that was right... Trying to use someone else's stand who is simply not compatible with you may have unforeseen consequences!" warned Avdol while Jiji's face still contorted in rage.

"Heh, now with the dog being full and resting, I hope that could work so..." Jiji concentrates again and soon, the pile of sands starts to form the beast car monster's head, front paws, then torso and...

Its body promptly disintegrates as Jiji end up falling and kneels on the floor, sweats pouring from his head and back, his breath ragged like he forced himself to lift an extremely large amount of weight.

"DAMMIT! WORK DAMMIT YOU FOOL! HNNNGGGH!"

"Uh, Jiji maybe Iggy's stand is simply just being incompatible with you!" I am now concerned over how my grandfather ended up trying too hard to control a dog's stand when it was clear that he is on the losing side.

"Don't forget that we are moving in a completely uncharted territory Mr. Joestar, I am not sure about what actually happened, but either Jozuma is right, or the mental strength required to control that stand is beyond..."

"SHUT UP AVDOL! I AM NOT MENTALLY WEAKER THAN THAT MUTT! HNNNGGGGGG!"

"Maybe this is because the stand was called [THE FOOL] and it needs someone with IQ comparable to a dog instead of a human?" I tried to give Jiji my insight, that maybe his efforts would be all useless because instead of having a too high mental requirement, there actually exist some sort of mental cap, just like when someone with too high levels trying to use crutch types of equipment clearly being designed to be used by a complete single-digit level newbie.

"So my mental strength is too high instead of too low?" said Jiji dejectedly as the ill-formed beast-car monster crumble. "This stand, The Fool, is incompatible with me because I am a human?"

"Maybe?" I just shrug, and Avdol seems to do the same thing.

To his credit, Jiji doesn't seem to be dejected for so long and immediately went into his good mood again.

"Hah, maybe I am indeed too smart for something called 'The Fool'! It simply didn't work with my genius," said Jiji dismissively. "What a useless stand, hmph! I think I'll just use the criminal's gun stand and get down with it!"

The sand mound moves for a while before being scattered again, it seems that Jiji has totally release whatever mental control he attempted to exert upon it.

"So what's next?" I summoned Whitesnake at my side. "Should I took that stand disc out of your head then?"

"Well, it's totally useless..." Jiji then tried to pry away the stand disc out of his head all by himself, but... "Why can't I get this stand disc out of my head?"

Obviously frustrated by the fact that unlike easily dislodged memory disc (that seems to only securely 'locked' inside someone's head when it's their original owner, and could be pried easily by tilting your head otherwise) the stand disc seems to fully absorbed into Jiji's head, and thus...

"Jozuma, could you help me with," said Jiji as he pats around his head. "It seems that I put this disc too deep within my head!"

"Ok... I got you..." I said while Whitesnake walks toward Jiji's position. "How about trying giving the stand to someone with IQ comparable to a dog, like... Aqua?"

Jiji turned to me with a big frown in his face, apparently, I just say something wrong in front of him.

"Dammit Jozuma, don't even think to give that Pillar Woman a stand dammit! If she turned out to be able to use it, it would give her too much..."

Suddenly, the pile of sand stirred and rise into a young, muscular man blonde hair and some sort of headband... Before crumbled into a pile of sand again, only with beast-car monster's head staying on top of the mound.

"C... Caesar? C... What just happened?" said Jiji in confusion as I could see his face turned into one of shock, before a certain recognition. "A-HA... I SEE!"

And the beast-car monster's head soon turned into a man's head with short, unkempt blonde hair and headband. Jiji seems to softly shake his head before the sand construct morphed into another head, this time is more powerfully built man with short, sandy hair, prominent eyebrow, a square tattoo drawn in front of his face, and wearing some sort of headgear.

But it seems that Jiji is still unsatisfied with that face as he shook his head. Now the head turned into a cyborg-looking man with Guille-like flat-top blonde hair, cybernetic right eyes, and some metallic parts protruding.

"Nope, I might get into problems if I use his visage... Hmm..." said Jiji to himself before the sand crumbles again into just a mound of sand. "Well thanks to you, I just get ahold of this when I remembering Caesar and the others... It seems that The Fool is actually formless, and thus need input for his appearance. I just don't know what the heck that dog is thinking when he formed that beast-car monster at the first place!"

But then I recall the scene where Iggy is being sent to the shelter, and I seem to recognize some part of the beast-car monster there. Of course, there's a broken toy car that he used to chase around, a doll wearing a similar tribal mask that is his favorite chew toy, and a half-torn teddy bear that he often sleeps with...

"Well I remember Jiji, it seems that Iggy got that form by cobbling up parts of his favorite toys! Should I took his memory again so you could examine and reconstruct it?" I asked Jiji, but he just shook his head.

"There is no need to do that! Apparently, the stand actually took the form directly from my own memories, just as I thought about them! Behold!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Before us now stand that blonde haired man, with purple marks on his cheeks, blue jacket, lighter undershirt and pants, and long off-pink scarf hanging on his neck. And the sand around his feet just seems to get vacuumed into his body.

"I finally get it... I finally get it... But why did it still feels very painful!" said Jiji in overly melodramatic version while the man made of sand construct raise his hand and feet as if experimenting with his newly made limbs. "Cae... CAE-SAAAAAARRR!"

The sand construct crumbles again as soon as Jiji cried his dead friend's name.

"Well, it seems that whatever you formed from that stand, it was short-lived," I point out the obvious while Jiji did visibly shed some tears from his eyes. "Maybe it was simply incompatible with you, after all!"

"This is all your fault Jozuma! Why did you force me to construct Caesar's details in my mind!" said Jiji as he lifted my collar.

"NOT MY FAULT! I remember that you once said about your friend who died at the pillar men's hand, but then that means you should try constructing something else that won't remind you of him dammit!"

Jiji sighed before he released his grip from my collar, shook his head and start concentrating again, this time the sand construct formed yet another humanoid form, but this time it took somewhat eerily familiar details. Re-forming to create another humanoid figure; before long, stood a brown-haired, green-eyed man, with a face that reminds me on myself except his unkempt hair is roughly shaped upward, wearing dark blue-green tank top that shows his muscular abs, studded fingerless gloves, blue pants with prominent leather belt, and knee-high riding boots.

And I just realized that this is my own grandfather's younger self.

"Did you just formed The Fool into the younger version of yourself? How Narsistic of you!" I point out my finger at him and Jiji just sheepishly grins while scratching his head.

To his credit though, this time, the construct did not crumble like the other construct, but something still feels off with how stiff the construct's face is.

"Well, the other options would be either too painful or improper..." said Jiji as the younger version of himself strikes a pose with his hand stretched upward while the other touching another shoulder and his foot bent backward in an angle that clearly impossible...

And the construct did falls to the ground, but instead of being totally crumbling at the impact, I could see the sand-made version of Jiji's younger self, keeping itself intact as it just sprung back like nothing is wrong.

"Hah! At least this would mean my handsome, younger self, could be seen by the world at large once again! That was surprisingly easy once I get ahold of the thought process needed!" said Jiji triumphantly as he stood there, admiring his work to shape the stand construct.

"That was too creepy! It looks just like me with a different hairstyle! And the face is eerily frozen like an undead or something." I point out the obvious. "Could you try to change it back into the familiar beast-car monster?"

"Hah, no! That's my handsome self, you dolt! This is far better than using his utterly stupid original form as imagined by that mutt!" said Jiji, but as if the stand itself understood something...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

The younger sand-construct version of Jiji crumbles a little and changed its color, it's clothing changed into one of long pink dress with too much golden Jewelries upon it, there's some sort of peacock-like hairpiece growing on its hair, and it face turned more lively, yet it also wears an overly thick makeup like a drag queen who tried too hard, even if it maintains it's overall musculature and what concerns me the most are the obviously false and overly big boobs that grow from its chest...

"OH NO! OH MY GOD! Of all things, he took from my memory THAT! WHY THAT!?" wailed Jiji as the 'young-Jiji-in-drag' ignores him and took a pose with one hand stretched out and the other on his swaying hip. And as both myself and Avdol stared wide-eyed at just how ridiculous that sand constructs Jiji immediately unsummoned it as it crumbles back into a pile of sand.

"Is that you Jiji?" I laugh as I point out the obvious. "It seems that my own grandfather used to be a drag queen after all."

"I did not intend to judge you Mr. Joestar," said Avdol awkwardly.

"Just forget what happened! That was my thought going haywire and that stand formed the wrong way! I never used that kind of disguise at the first place!" said Jiji while he trying to exert his mental ability again. "Now it should be better!"

The sand coalesced into humanoid form again, but it actually re-created the 'young-Jiji-in-drag' form all over again!

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH! DAMMIT!" Jiji screams as the sand construct now crumble again into a pile of sand. "WHY DID THIS HAPPENED TO ME!"

"Try thinking something else then!" I said while wiping off my tears, this is just too funny to be true, after all. "Not your drag queen younger self!"

"HNNNGGGGGG!" Jiji exerts his willpower once again, and the sands now turned into humanoid form again... And this time...

There stood a tall and very muscular man, the man with the weird headgear and square tattooed on his face. Wearing a strip of dark blue cloth on his chest that punctuates his muscles, a loincloth, and a pair of blue-black greaves end up with ancient sandals.

We stayed silent for a while as the very tall and muscular men flexed his muscle and strike a pose with one foot kneeling on the ground and the other split far at the opposite direction, hands crossed in front of his chest.

"Ah, this is definitely better than that ugly drag queen," I said while Jiji seems to be somewhat annoyed with my comment, and the sand construct now crumbled again. Only to form the 'young-Jiji-in-drag' again.

"OH SHIT! WHY DID THIS SHITTY STAND KEEP FORMING THAT WHEN THERE ARE OTHER FORMS TO PICK UPON?!"

"Joseph darling, what happened?" said granny as she opened the door into the room, but then her gaze naturally focused to 'young-Jiji-in-drag' standing at the center of the room.

"Is that your younger self, Joseph darling?" said granny as she can't keep her chuckles, and we then realize that that mutt is also chuckling on granny's arms.

Before long Roses and the maids take a peek upon the 'young-Jiji-in-drag' sand form that still standing there, and everyone clearly laughing their ass off except Jiji himself.

"DAMMIT!" screamed Jiji while the sand construct crumbles once again. "Jozuma! Take this damned stand out of my head!"

"But that suits you, and isn't you used to call this stand powerful despite its name is literally 'The Fool'? Maybe it did end up taking either the most foolish form or the most painful form it could take from your memories!" I said as I rolling on the floor, laughing my ass off due to the sheer absurdity of this situation.

"Foolish or Painful eh..." said Jiji in surprisingly solemn tone before the sand-construct re-formed itself into the blonde young man it takes when it first took a humanoid form.

"Caesar?" said granny in disbelief, apparently she also recognize the man formed from the sand construct.

"Well, it has been almost fifty years, but I still missed him..." said Jiji solemnly as the blonde young man move his limbs and walk around Jiji as if checking his full movements. "It seems that your hypothesis was true, Jozuma, but maybe I could use something more appropriate... Painful eh..."

The sand construct crumbles, but it seems that Jiji did have a plan over that, as he just calmly took off the glove from his left hand, then pulls off his prosthetic left hand, and...

A little part of the sand flew to the stump of his left hand, and it formed the part that was missing. Not long afterward, the sand color turns into a human skin one and Jiji just get his left arm back with the stand.

"Oh well, that's better!" said Jiji as his left hand open and close with ease, just like a normal hand. "Well and this time... I do need to test something."

Jiji's eyes looking at Iggy, and he took the phone from the table.

"Maybe I should still neuter you so... I'll call a vet then..."

Jiji's left hand immediately crumbles as Iggy's face seems to be frozen in fear.

"Well, that confirms my theory. Don't worry mutt, this is just a test... Come on, I'm not cruel enough to have you castrated!"

The sand forms at Jiji's left stump again, returning his left hand, but it stays as sand-colored.

"Well, how about this, I'll even give you extra pitch, you will stay here and being pampered by my wife, and you could even pick some bitches that caught your fancy to live here too!"

The sand construct that formed the left hand immediately turned into very natural flesh color, and as Jiji breathe in, I could even see some yellow crackles formed on his left hand too.

"Well mutt, it seems that you earned your stay here, it seems that stand could conduct Hamon after all, and this is far better than my previous prosthetics!"

"Woof!" said Iggy, as he wags his tail in happiness.

Of course, it took me not long to realize that the original form constructed by Iggy is none other than him combining parts of his lost toys.

...

 **Haneda International Airport, Tokyo, Japan, 16 April 1986**

It wasn't a surprise, but last days in New York was really satisfying. Sure, we did end up fulfilling our part with the dog Iggy, who end up picking four, I repeat, FOUR female dogs from his former pack to live in Jiji's house like an overly pampered oil sheik. But at least this mutt did have a pair of good eyes for getting the prettiest, most pleasant looking female dogs, and the four bitches consist of a long-haired Chihuahua, a Bichon Friese, a Collie, and a Corgi.

Of course, the sight of famous billionaire Joseph Joestar taking some stray dogs out of the street did get the Animal Control to inquire if they were properly spayed (and neutered in case of Iggy). But then, with the very fact that Jiji's brand new stand's cooperativeness being tied to how the little dog perceive Jii as being his 'friend' or not, Jiji basically told the ASPCA representative to fuck off, since he's a billionaire and could thus could afford to breed his own pack of dogs.

This also gave us some insight on how a stand could be transferred via Whitesnake's disc. It seems that the more the original owner perceive the new owner of being friendly, the more the stand will cooperate with the new owner. Of course, with Iggy live a dream life for dogs, being pampered like royalty, that was deemed as a fair trade for Jiji to have a fully functioning stand, that could not only replace his lost left hand and feels like a natural hand, but also fully capable to conduct the Hamon energy.

Of course, Avdol did classify this kind of stand, which must be bound to sand to function, as a kind of 'bound stand', especially after it was more or less permanently bound with the stump on Jiji's left arm. Of course, with the fact that the cooperativeness of said stand still being tied to a dog living in America, Jiji still carry his prosthetic hand around 'in case of that mutt having a bad day'.

...

Well, I'm glad that this beast-car case finally ended in a good way.

Still, the unsolved problem that is Hol Horse the assassin, and the very fact that there are another group of stand users running some sort of loosely related network of criminals did force Avdol to stay in America with the two discs that are Hol Horse's memory as well as his stand. We are still not sure about putting his memory disc back in, so holding his comatose body inside Speedwagon Foundation containment room is taken as the best course of action.

"And we're back in Japan!" I said as we moved past the customs, it is afternoon here, too late to attend school, and I do want to spend my day lounging around today.

"Well, let's hope your friend's containment room has been readied..." said Jiji softly as we walked through the corridors. "Wait a minute... Where is Holly?"

I look around, trying to locate where my mother is, and before long, I spotted her running toward us.

"OVER HERE PAPA!" said my mother, and I smiled as Jiji twirl my mother around like someone twirling a little girl. Oh, come on! Can't you two be more serious like proper adults?

At least we are back in Japan, even if the problem with Aqua's existence is still basically unsolved.

But then, something caught my eyes as I look at a weird purple vine momentarily appears on his coat.

"Uh Jiji, what was that?" I asked Jiji while pointing toward the weird thing, that now already disappeared.

"Hmmm?" Jiji checked the place I pointed on, and pat his coat. "What? Is this coat dirty or..."

I rub my eyes, and yes there is literally nothing weird with that spot too.

"Sorry then, it must be my vision being affected by the jet-lag."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 - My Family Problem Just Turned Even More Complicated**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 16 April 1986**

Coming back at home, after going our separate ways as Jiji went to check the construction progress and my mother preparing for dinner, the first thing I checked is Aqua, who still being stone-Aqua inside the furniture storage room. Still secured by a series of ultraviolet searchlights. But before I could say anything to her...

"Hello, great-gran... Ouch!" I suddenly found her scarf roughly entangling my neck before I got unceremoniously thrown out of the room with a flick of her wrist. "Hey! I'm not doing anything wrong dammit!"

Only for her to unceremoniously slammed the door from the inside without she even talks to me at the first place. Geez, it seems that she got a particularly bad case of PMS today, but isn't she already ninety-seven years old? Must have a bad day over something else then.

*SIGH*

"Granny is having a bad mood today after what happened this morning, and she did say that nobody except herself and Papa is permitted to enter the room where Aqua is currently stored," said Darkness, putting her hand on top of my shoulder in a gesture of sympathy. "Not until the workers finished the proper containment room for Aqua."

"Containment room?" I said while scratching my head over that. "Oh well, I remember Jiji said about that, so..."

"Do you want to see it for yourself Jozuma? It only less than half-finished at this state, but the concrete already hardened enough to be walked upon. The construction work there will only be resumed tomorrow as today the workers are working on the main house, so there's nobody down there today," said Darkness with slight glee, and it did pique my curiosity, so I just nod at her offer.

Walking to the backyard, I could see a half-formed hole lined with steel and concrete. Now I am curious about what it looks like from the inside.

"Are we permitted to climb down there?" I said and Darkness just quickly nod at my question.

Inside the covered hole, there seems to be a half-made steel-and-concrete platform accessible from the top, and there lies a ladder going down under for about fifteen meters down. Well, it's rather dizzying, climbing a ladder this tall downward, but as far as things going on, it seems safe enough to climb this down, so...

We make it at the base of what could be described as a half-done basement that lies down at a considerable depth from the surface. I look up and realize that this is not your usual basement, this could be a frickin nuclear-proof bunker!

"Whew! Isn't this too much to contain a Youkai like her? I meant this very deep, 6m x 6m bunker with 1m thick reinforced concrete walls? This is beyond ridiculous!"

"As far as I know this is indeed a bunker, The second bunker built to contain a pillar man in fact, and the design has been proven to be escape-proof once the mirrors and UV floodlights have been installed," Darkness whispers on my ear. "I know I shouldn't tell you about this, but Papa technically only killed three Pillar Men. The first one, Santana, is held at a bunker just like this in Washington DC."

"There's another Pillar Man that still being alive?" I asked while we walked upon the obvious freshly hardened concrete. The wall is still pretty damp, but it already hardened enough to support the long extension ladder we used earlier.

"Papa defeated Santana first, exposed him to the sun and turned him into the stone form. It was said that Santana being originally kept alive just in case either the Nazis use their cyborg tech, or Japanese use their nuclear weapons against US targets."

I rolled my eyes on remembering just how bizarre this world history is. Japan was the one who discovered the nuclear bomb first and used them on Shanghai, Canton, and Nanking. We break the Chinese early on and cause us to never actually fight against the USA during the whole Second World War. Our Empire ends up coming out more or less intact, with Korea and Manchuria staying as our colonies. I don't care about the Koreans and Manchurians anyway, the Kenpeitai seems to be competent enough to keep them from rebelling.

"Wait, why are you telling me about this if you should not tell me at the first place?"

"Because you know my reasons, Jojo," said Darkness as she held my arms in front of her chest and made them touch her pair of fun bags. Normally, I wouldn't mind too much about this kind of gesture coming from other girls, but then...

I just realized that we were essentially alone, since we already climbed down the half-formed bunker, and at fifteen meters underground no one could hear you scream...

Wait, why did we end up here anyway?

This. Is. Not. Good.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"We are now related dammit! Go looking for someone that is not your nephew at the first place!" I said as I yanked my hands out of her grip, but it seems that her strength is as monstrous as ever so... "Wait, Darkness... Don't!"

"Come on, you don't even give me a goodnight kiss like the other members of our family!" whined Darkness as she pulls me closer to her face and her warm breath falls upon my face. "I have read your naughty secrets under the mats, Jozuma..."

"Hey! You shouldn't read my hentai collection under the tatami in the first place! That's a breach of my privacy dammit!"

"But why you read a story about a boy with his aunt, whose title is 'Kirei no Obasan' or something..."

"That's different dammit! Those are fictions! I don't want that to happen in my real life here!" I said while darkness nuzzled her cheeks against mine.

"Come on... I just want a kiss..." Darkness puckered her lips, and it went very awkward with my baser instinct told me to stay and enjoy the show, my mind told me to get out of this as quickly as possible.

"Alright Darkness, I don't want to use this but you forced me!" I summoned Whitesnake at my side, using him to shove Darkness away.

"~Ahhh...~ Who's that Jozuma?" said Darkness while pointing out to Whitesnake, that stood on my side.

"Aren't you supposed to be able to indirectly feel my stand because of Hamon and shits?" I said while using Whitesnake to held Darkness at bay while I climb the ladder back to the garden.

"I used to only feel their presence, but now I see him ~clearly~! ~Oh~! I ~love~ how he looks!"

*BAM*

Whitesnake kicked Darkness at her stomach, and I used the distraction to climb out as fast as possible to avoid being molested by my own aunt. Dammit, why did she still have that kind of feelings, even as we end up becoming blood-related here?

If only Jesus or whoever Gods who placed us here put Darkness not as my own blood-related family, I might be willing to indulge her... But now, it just feels very wrong.

Better run until I met either Jiji or my mother, so Darkness won't have the chance to molest me, seeing that Megumin won't be coming home until late in the afternoon.

...

"Jozuma, who is that?" said my mother as I run into the kitchen.

"Oh dammit Da..." wait, I just realized that she won't elicit this kind of question from my mother, and aside of myself, the only other 'person' present in this room would be Whitesnake, so...

"Wait, you could see Whitesnake too?" I said as I unsummoned Whitesnake from my side.

"And now he's gone!" said my mother, apparently confused with what just happened. "Is he your stand, Jojo?"

"Well, you could really see him?" I summoned Whitesnake, and it was now clear that mom could indeed see Whitesnake as her eyes did move and follow Whitesnake's movements.

"Yes I can see him moving around," said my mother, which is rather weird because she is not supposed to be able to feel him, unlike Darkness and the others who could use Hamon.

I do feel that something is wrong, but maybe that's because Darkness just try to molest me, so...

"Is there anything I could help with the dinner?"

Well, maybe helping my mom in the kitchen will help me avoid being molested by Darkness in the first place. She wouldn't dare to do that in front of my mom, right?

...

"Tadaima..." said someone from outside the door, and I already knew it must be Megumin, but why she ends up sounding like that?

"Oi Megumin!" I said as I put the steamed fish on the table, and her existing frown turned into a smile, but it does seem kind of forced. "What happened, why are you looking like that?"

"Your great-grandmother was very angry this morning," said Megumin as she warily eyed the furniture storage room where great-grandmother (and stone-Aqua) currently resides. "And that was partially your fault, to begin with..."

"What? How could I am at fault when I literally just coming back from America this afternoon?" I said while Megumin's crimson eyes glared at me with some sort of weird looks.

"Last night, Darkness found your perverse books hidden under the tatami, she ends up reading them all night, and her hysteric laugh ends up causing your great-grandmother to come into our room and confiscate all of them. She already burned them all this morning anyway..."

"OH, MY GODS! MY PRECIOUS HENTAI COLLECTION! GONE?!"

"This is your fault of being such trashy pervert at the first place! If only you could take my onii-sama as an example... Instead of those trashy swimsuit posters, there is a copy of Mona Lisa inside his room. Instead, tasteless hentai showing objectification of female body, he decorates his room with classy pictures of hands."

"Well, your brother is truly a saint then..." I sighed in defeat as the humiliation keeps piling up on me. Of course, Yoshikage-san, being the ideal example to us all, could be massively disappointed if he found that I have a secret stash of porn in my room discovered by his little sister. "Just don't tell your brother about this, ok?"

"Of course I won't tell him about that, that was obvious... Oh, hi aunt Seiko..."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

My face turns extremely deep red as my mother seems to listen to our conversation all along, but instead of being angry, she seems to only mildly disappoint instead...

"Well... I'm sorry Jojo, I already told granny that as long as it was just a secret stash, that would never be a problem as your father and I already knew about those things under the tatami since you were in middle school. But apparently your great-grandmother insists to burn them all," said my mother awkwardly as she carries a big pot of soup to the table.

It feels hellishly uncomfortable when my own mother ends up joining the conversation concerning my very own 'secret' hentai collection.

"Am I saying something wrong?" said my mother as my face turned extremely pale. "Your father did know about that, but he just told me that those are parts of being a normal boy. He did sound impressed with your efforts putting aside parts of your allowance to buy that many."

Oh, Gods, I knew I got the best parents I could ever bargain for, but why did my hentai collection burn down like they were trash because of a snooping pervert of an aunt.

"Calm down Holly, let me handle this..." I feel someone grab my shoulder and it was none other than Jiji, whose face shows disappointment. "This is something that needs proper man-to-man talk!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

And as soon as Jiji drags me to the garden...

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! PUTTING BOOKS LIKE THAT TO BE DISCOVERED BY YOUR OWN AUNT!"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT! If only you let me sleep in MY OWN ROOM and for Lalatina to sleep in the living room in the first place!"

"I'm not complaining about how you hide your stash of porn at the first place! But some of them are apparently too close for our comfort!"

Oh yeah, those works titled 'Kirei no Obasan' is indeed too close to comfort when it comes to a certain Lalatina... And the very fact that the language we used on Eris' realm is too close to Japanese, so much that Darkness could apparently understand Japanese that fast.

"That was an old manga dammit! I bought them back then at the middle school before I even know Darkness would be my very own aunt!"

"Well, that can't be helped, but for our sanity's sake, please refrain from buying that kind of stuff!" said Jiji with a touch of finality, and it seems for a foreseeable future, I cannot re-built my painstakingly collected hentai manga collection.

At this point, reporting about how Darkness trying to molest me earlier inside the freshly made bunker might actually cause my great-grandmother to murder me...

Just forget it, at least I still have Whitesnake at my side and Darkness just can't do anything against that... Wait, why did it sounds like I'm the one who wants to molest Darkness instead?

...

Dinner is expectedly awkward and silent today.

Great-grandmother is looking at me with something that could only be reserved to the lowest of trash.

Jiji is mostly silent, but it seems that he has his own problem, as he also keeps his silence most of the time.

My mother could only do an awkward smile all the time, and the talk between everyone is kept at the minimum.

It was because Darkness, of all people, coming all sweaty to the dining table, have the indecency to grin when we first met again across the table. Apparently oblivious that everyone else in the family is very concerned with our inappropriate relationship that is now coming entirely from her direction.

But even Megumin gave me her gaze of disapproval all the time.

Everything is silent, until...

"Uh, Papa, what's that purple thing I just see?" said Darkness to Jiji, even as the latter is confused with what the hell she is talking about.

"Uh, what?" Jiji lifts his arm as Darkness did point out at his left elbow. "Oh, you realized that my left arm is no longer the usual prosthetics?"

At least now we're talking about something else. The mood did end up lightened as Jiji demonstrates how brand new left hand could turn into a pile of sand before returning to become human hand once again, thanks to the stand he got from the little dog Iggy.

"And it could turn into anything I could imagine too!" said Jiji, beaming with pride as his left hand elongated to take a piece of the steamed fish on the opposite side of the table.

"Well Jojo, you give your grandfather a stand?" whispered Megumin.

"Taken from a dog, long story," I said while looking toward Darkness, who apparently still being engrossed poking at Jiji's new arm. "Anyway you do say that you planned to introduce Darkness to your brother, how's that going?"

"We met him completely by accident last Friday when your mother takes us to go sightseeing at the Tokyo Bay. We end up eating Teppanyaki together with onii-sama, but I afraid Darkness did give him the wrong first impression..."

"How so?" I raised my eyebrows at that.

"She got drunk, called onii-sama as an evil demon lord, before asking if he could torture her to fulfill his most debauched desire..." said Megumin way too loud to be a whisper, and of course, this meant...

"WHAAATTT? OHHH MYYY GOOOOOOOOD!" Jiji obviously hears Megumin's words, and everyone's eyes now looking upon Lalatina, who could only look down. "HOOOLLYYY! WHY YOU NEVER TALK ABOUT WHAT LALATINA HAS DONE?!"

Well, at least this day did end up in a rather light-hearted tone, and apparently, Darkness also got the scolding she deserves, even if for another reason altogether.

Megumin did give me a secret wink, and I do realize that she must have suspected something about Darkness all along... Oh well, my family problem just turned even more complicated, but whatever...

I did wonder about what is that purple thing occasionally coming out from Jiji's arm anyway?

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 - Digging Yourself Deeper**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 17 April 1986**

It was so damn satisfying looking at Darkness being scolded over her drunken masochist antics last night. I do feel bad for Yoshikage-san, getting slandered as a demon lord, only to then being asked to unleash his most debauched desire. I could see him end up thinking Darkness must be some sort of BDSM slut, which is partially true except she didn't have the courage to actually get in and go with any man other than me.

Wait, is Darkness also still being a virgin in this world or did she already...

"You must be thinking perverse thoughts again!" said Megumin as she walked at my side on our way to school, and I do realize she must look at my trademark glee when thinking about 'that matter'.

"Not really, I just thought about how confused your brother could be after her first impression with Darkness. It's not every day you were approached by an admittedly hot and attractive woman who outright told you to fulfill your most debauched desire. But thinking about it... There is a small, but non-zero chance that your brother might actually deem Darkness is attractive enough for a simple one-night stand or something..." I said while rubbing my chin with the sagest expression on my face.

"Hahaha... It wouldn't happen..." said Megumin awkwardly. "While I previously thought that Darkness might at least give a good first impression to onii-sama, it seems that she blew her chance. Oh, wait..."

"What do you mean by 'oh wait' eh, Megumin?"

*SMACK*

"You do end up thinking about Darkness, aren't you? What are you two doing yesterday anyway? She did come all sweaty to the dining table from the direction of that hole!"

"Uhmmm... I admit, she did try to corner me inside the bunker... But since she didn't have a stand, I end up being able to outfight her and get out with my virginity intact," I am trying to remember about what actually happen yesterday that cause her to become all sweaty with that, but... "Well, maybe just like her usual kinds of stuff, I run and she ends up... You know what Vanir said when he read Darkness' mind?"

"Ewww..." both of us winced, apparently thinking the very same thing because we never really knew if Darkness washes her hands or not last night...

...

Well, it was awkward, but at least we have fun talking about 'what Darkness does yesterday' to become all sweaty like that. But then, when we cross the concrete stairway that is the most direct way to our school through the public garden.

*CRASH*

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

As soon as we look toward the source of the sound, I could see a young woman wearing formal attire lying on the street as her bicycle plunged head-on into a ditch. It wasn't anything serious though, as the onee-san soon lifts her head, shaking her black, shoulder-length hair and looking toward me as if I am a ghost or something.

"Ne Jojo, why did that woman is looking at you like that?" Megumin nudged my side, telling me to keep moving up the stairs.

"Who knows?" I rolled my eyes, thinking that this is extremely likely to be a random accident, as I did not even knew or even recalls seeing her in the first place. "Random onee-san getting an accident while looking at me... Hey, that's not my fault!"

Taking one last glance, I could see the poor woman end up shaking her head again while some men helping her lifting the broken bicycle out of the ditch. I do think of the possibility if she is also a stand-user or something, but then, as I did not summon Whitesnake out, that seems to be unlikely.

Well, considering that my head now resting on top of this hunky, muscular body, I couldn't blame her for being distracted by my handsome features. Even if it was fully covered by the green gakuran I currently wear. Thinking that does give me a strange sense of satisfaction; so this is how a popular, handsome guy feel in their life?

...

My indulgence in such pleasant train of thoughts stops, however, as soon as I stepped my feet inside of my class. The pinkie, or should I say, Kakyoin, stood in front of me with his arms crossed.

Looking at his tense expression, I would think he expects another fight, but shouldn't this idiot get the memo that I already apologized to him?

I look at Megumin, but apparently, while I was engrossed in my own self-inducing thoughts about how handsome I am, she already walks into the class first as she already sat upon her seat. Looking back at the glaring pinkie, I could see that I am effectively alone now...

After spending a minute or two glaring at each other like that, suddenly Kakyoin threw me a piece of folded paper that I reflexively caught out of the air.

"I want answers!" said Kakyoin with quivering voice. "What is the meaning of this?"

I unfold the paper and found that it was none other than the letter of apology I left at his bedside when we visited him at the hospital.

"Well, it's simple," I said in a neutral tone, trying to not making this pinkie angry again because hospitalizing him did leave some unpleasant marks in my conscience. "I wrote you a written apology over our previous fights, and I am genuinely sorry about what happened between us before."

Kakyoin sighed, shook his head, and stares directly into my eyes.

"Aren't you forgetting something important you scum?" said Kakyoin as the green ghost appears at his side.

Oh well, must be still suspecting me over how the last time we met, Whitesnake groped Hinamori-sensei, peek on the girls changing, and for all of that, this self-righteous brat seems to judge them as worst crimes ever.

Of course, while I understood his anger at some levels, admitting about that in the open like this will only make me enemies of other deluded self-righteous brats. I also remember Yoshikage-san's wise words about valuing a quiet, peaceful life; because if anything, having enemies often cause you more harm than any kind of tangible gain. That means confessing about Whitesnake's existence in any form in front of the class is simply out of the question.

Of course, if Kakyoin has any foresight to talk in a more private setting, I could give him more satisfactory answers, but then, it seems that he is too immersed in his own self-righteousness, as he clearly intends for the public to witness our interactions today.

"I... I'm sorry for calling you names, but can't we forgive each other and continue our lives in peace?"

"You have nothing else to confess?" said the pinkie in a threatening manner as everyone is now looking at us.

"Look, I am sorry," I said even as the green ghost appears at the pinkie's side. Of course, since admitting about Whitesnake's existence here would be tantamount to social suicide, I suppress my own urge to just summon Whitesnake out of my body, even as the green ghost move to punch my face.

I already write to him that I do willing to take a punch or two, so...

Oh well, here it comes... I thought as I closed my eyes, thinking that receiving a punch or two would be better than being socially ostracized like him, or worse due to what Whitesnake has done to our teacher...

I do not want my name here to be soiled just like what happened at Eris' realm, after all.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

I opened my eyes to see that the fist of the green ghost stops less than an inch from my face. I blinked several times before the green ghost pulls his fist and opt to just hover at Kakyoin's side.

"So it wasn't you..." said Kakyoin softly. "I'm sorry to cause such a ruckus as well, Kujo-san."

I smiled, well, worst case scenario averted... But I do know from experience that I should still play the correct cards, so...

"I already told you in my apology that I do deserve a punch or two..." I said while putting my hand on his shoulder.

Only to be caught off guard by Kakyoin himself launching a punch with his own hand directly to my gut, causing me to bend over in pain, but as far as my willpower is going, I still able to suppress the urge to let Whitesnake out and knock this son of a bitch.

"Alright, I am the one who is too headstrong then... You could strike me and we'll call it even," said Kakyoin as he sighed and the green ghost disappeared from his side. "There was something... Before I was hospitalized..."

Kakyoin relaxed his body and close his eyes, and I am genuinely at loss about it. Should I just punch him and get done with it, or not? What will Yoshikage-san do if he faces this kind of situation?

"I think not, Kakyoin-san," I put my hand on his shoulder again. "We shouldn't be enemies at the first place. I already have forgiven about what happened between us at the first place."

"K... K... Kujo-san..." Kakyoin's hands tremble while he opened his eyes. "You are not mad at me for..."

"I said I expected to take a punch or two from you, right now, all I want is peace between us," I tried to give him a calm smile, and the Pinkie just shook his head.

"Who told you about me then? Your choice of words was and still is too close to the truth. Who informs you that I was being mocked and ostracized? How do you know about how nobody understood me? Why are you so... so..."

Kakyoin's voice quivered as he literally broken down in front of me.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Oh shit, how to explain this without outright telling him that what I have done is the worst kind of privacy violation? Ripping his memories and watching parts of his life like watching a first-person perspective video? Is this all just an act over his previously extremely obvious suspicion about my link to Whitesnake?

Wait, he does know I could see his ghost... Maybe I could get something by developing from there.

"You know I could see your ghost, right? I know the feeling about how nobody believes your claims..." I said while I cursed this pinkie's choice to make our first 'friendly' talk being conducted in front of the class like that. If only he has the intellect to choose a more private setting...

"Anyway, Kujo-san, seeing that you were capable to see Hierophant Green, you must also have seen the bastard who molested Hinamori-sensei, right?"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Holy crap! This is the biggest dilemma that I should choose really, really carefully... Admitting about seeing Whitesnake will cause more questions, but so does acting if I cannot see him... so...

Well, thinking about it later, being scared by a ghost is a rather normal reaction, so...

"Uh, of course, I've seen that creepy thing, but I was scared..."

"Yet you are not scared by my Hierophant Green!"

Fuck, this pinkie did have very good intellect, memory, and observation skills. It would be much harder from this point on, but I have no other choice...

I shook my head and raise both my hands.

"I could see all kind of ghosts, be there good, neutral, or evil one... Your ghost did not give me the sense of fear, but that super creeps did! He did feel like a scary monster!"

"So Kakyoin-kun's claim was true!" said Hinamori-sensei, apparently listening to the last parts of our conversations all along.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"That's right Hinamori-sensei, the day when I was admitted to the hospital, someone, or maybe some sort of supernatural entity did, in fact, molest you before shamelessly peeking the girls inside the changing room. Kujo-san's testimony there should be an irrefutable proof about that."

OH SHIT! WHAT SHOULD I DO?!

...

"So much for having the magic to stealing others' memories," said Megumin sourly as we eat our lunch together at the rooftop.

"Damn that Pinkie! His self-righteousness caused this entire problem! If only he has the brain to keep our conversation private, this will never happen in the first place!"

"Ssssh! Someone is coming!" said Megumin while the stair door opened, revealing none other than the annoying pinkie, walking toward us, his own bento in hand.

"Do you mind if I join?" said Kakyoin politely, before without even waiting for our confirmation, he just sat at my side.

"Uh, but aren't you usually eat in the class?"

"You want us to be friends, right?" said the pinkie, and I could see that his words are nothing but honest.

"Uh, sure... But... You do know that, well... We're kind of having a little private time here?" I point out at Megumin, who thankfully nod at my claim.

"Yet this is important, Kujo-san. You are the only person other than myself who could see those ghosts, and thus, we need your vigilance to expose the creepy molester who preys upon the innocent women of this school!"

Uh, how to...

"Well... I don't think..."

"I know that said creepy molester must be evil, and thus you do naturally feel scared about him," said Kakyoin as he closes his eyes, even if his hands start to open his bento box. "He did give me... Nightmarish illusions... When he spat at my face..."

"You know that my ability is only seeing ghosts," I tried to get out of this extremely tricky situation. "I don't have your personal ghost or something like that... I could only observe as I am helpless otherwise..."

Naturally, from the edge of my vision, Megumin rolled her eyes, but at least that Pinkie is too focused upon me that he did not notice her particular gesture.

Of course, this damned pinkie already starts eating as if nothing is wrong. Obviously, it took all my willpower just for not to summon Whitesnake and pull out his memory disc so he could permanently forget about this.

"My parents contact someone named Mr. Messina, who worked for the Speedwagon Foundation, and later on, while at the hospital, I was visited by someone from the very same Foundation who introduces himself as Mr. Avdol."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

HOLY CRAP! WHY DID MY FAMILY'S STUPID ORGANIZATION KEEP POKING ON MY LIFE?

"So?" at this point, I am almost expecting that Kakyoin would drop the bomb that he knew my grandfather is none other than Joseph Joestar, the CEO of said Foundation, and demands answers.

"Mr. Avdol did say that my green ghost is a phenomenon usually called as 'stand', and usually, those could only be seen by either another stand-user, or potential stand-user," said Kakyoin calmly and at this point, I rolled my eyes because it seems he did genuinely try to explain things that I already knew better than him. "If you suddenly gain some sort of ghost... Or unexplainable powers that seem magical... This might be of help."

And Kakyoin gave me a fucking name card with the name 'Muhammad Avdol' printed on top of it. Well dammit, I already knew him better than you, thank you.

...

Aside from that intrusion at lunchtime, Kakyoin seems to be content to leave us alone. But now, with my indirect confirmation, everyone in the class, nah, school, ends up being really frightened about the existence of a ghost that is also a creepy molester.

This happened to be my own fucking stand.

And that means, using my own stand to help me with schoolwork is going to be hard, really hard... Here goes my plan to simply use Whitesnake to check answers from the others at a test.

Yet thankfully, the school time is enough for today, and I thus walk with Megumin on our way back to home...

...

"Jojo, may we have some ice cream?" said Megumin as we passed through a stall who sold various kind of ice cream.

"Sure, why not?" I said while looking at the available flavors. Of course, it's spring, and the stall seems to only have a single another customer in it.

As we walk closer, I could hear the radio playing a song that for some reasons, giving me goosebumps due to what happened earlier at school.

 _._

 _Scary monsters, super creeps_

 _Keep me running, ~running scared~!_

 _Scary monsters, super creeps_

 _Keep me running, ~running scared~!_

 _._

"Dammit, that song reminds me too much on what happened..." I whispered to Megumin, who once again, just avert her gaze from my face.

"Yeah, that scary, creepy molester who is actually your own..." said Megumin sarcastically while selecting the ice cream choice for us.

But then, as we move to the tables, I end up recognizing the single customer who sits at the front table as none other than the young woman who crashed her bicycle into the ditch this morning.

"Jo... Jo...?" said the onee-san while looking at me, and I could feel Megumin pinching my side in what is obviously jealousy. Dammit! I didn't even know this woman! Why did she know my nickname and...

"I... I am sorry, I don't mean to startle you two," said the onee-san as she did see Megumin pinching at my side. "I'm sorry but your face does remind me of someone..."

"Oh?"

"Who is your father, boy?" said the onee-san, and I then realize that this must be one of my father's fans. Of course, Jazz fans aren't usually a rabid one, but you can't really know about things these days, with stalkers and such.

"Ah, I see... You must be my father's fangirl, aren't you?" I raised my eyebrows while Megumin releases her pinch from my side, apparently realizing that I am innocent this time around.

"Fangirl... Uh... Well... I'm sorry if..."

"Well, that doesn't surprise me at all, miss... My father is Kujo Sadao, a world-renowned Jazz musician. I am Jozuma, his son..."

"Oh well, yeah, I like Jazz... But um... I'm sorry if I end up bothering you..." said the onee-san as if she suddenly becomes awkward over something. She did seem to not rabid fangirl material, so I think it would be for the best to stay friendly.

"No problems miss..."

"Higashikata Tomoko, nice to meet you..." said the onee-san with an awkward smile.

...


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 - Unexpected Surprise**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 19 April 1986**

Today is Saturday, and as expected, we get home early.

As soon as we finished lunch, we end up looking at the still unfinished parts of my house where Megumin and the girls should be sleeping in if they weren't occupying my very own room and force me to sleep at the living room with Jiji.

"Not done yet?" I said while looking at the still unfinished interior of what should be Megumin's room, with the shoji doors not yet properly attached, and the woodworks at the ceilings are still half done.

"Wait three to four days, unless they want to smells like varnish then it should be done tomorrow," said Jiji while pointing at the newly varnished wooden pillars. "What's the matter with rushing to get your own room?"

"You snore, dammit!" I said while I remember something more important that should be asked rather than just wanting a private place to do my *ahem* normal thing normal teenager tend to do when alone at night.

"Anyway Joestar-ojiisan, about Aqua and that dungeon you built at the backyard?" questioned Megumin, who tries her best to tidy up her things, yet still coming short from what her brother has previously done. "You didn't actually intend to make it being her permanent prison, aren't you?"

Jiji sighed and he just sadly shook his head.

"Well little missy, it all depends on her cooperativeness with us. She will be awakened under controlled condition, with safety measures put in place, and we will see if Jozuma's Youkai contract could be used to reliably control her. If that is the case, great, the containment room would be then only used for backup in case the unthinkable happened. But if she proves to be uncontrollable... Then yes, we will turn her back into stone form and permanently entomb her there."

The three of us sighed at the same time when Jiji speak about that particular kind of scenario, not wanting to imagine what kind of heartbreak it will get us if Aqua proves to be 'uncontrollable' according to the whim of those two old people.

"And here we go again," I muttered to myself, thinking of what if Aqua get (reasonably) angry over how Jiji is the one who killed all the other four (actually three, but the surviving Pillar Man is kind of secret I know only because Darkness blurt it), and tried to attack him only to become permanently entombed under that bunker.

Yet as if Jiji is aware of what I am thinking, he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Your mother does say that even if she only lives little more than half a day before, she seems to be a rather nice girl to have around. Now, if that kind of contract really works as intended, and I knew how to do that fifty years ago... Pardon me..." said Jiji while pinching the bridge of his nose as if he remembers something particularly sad to think about.

"Well, you are the one who comes barging in and wreck everything as soon as possible despite I explicitly told you not to..."

"Don't blame us like that, with you suddenly turned extremely rude, explicitly siding with the Pillar Men, and calling me a murderer, we only assume the worst might happen. She might never tell you when we were at New York, but your grandmother actually ends up sick as she thought you and your mother already become dead men who walk. You don't know how happy we are when you turned out to not being already a vampire, even if we still thought you might be the second coming of Dio Brando... If only you were like your girlfriend and telling your family what happens, we might help you from the start."

"We do owe Yoshikage-san one, he is the kind of guy who will sit at your side and patiently listen to your story. While his outward demeanor is quiet and cold, once you knew him better, he is one of the kindest, most selfless people I ever knew," I said while remembering that if not for him, I would never be reunited with Megumin, let alone the rest of the gang.

"Sure, I can't wait to meet him. Your mother does praise him of being not only a very responsible older sibling, but also being a very polite and extremely tidy person," said Jiji as he looks toward Megumin. "Well, he did know about your Pillar Woman friend's existence, yes?"

Megumin nod her head in confirmation.

"Like it or not, we must be thankful to your brother, little missy. Holly said that your home is around two and a half to three hours driving from here, right?"

"Yes, Joestar-ojiisan."

"I wonder if we could arrange something to meet with him, I do want to personally thank him," Jiji said before his smile turned into a little frown. "Although it was a shame, Holly let you drunk and speaks like that in front of him."

Darkness, being mostly silent all the time, could only blush and avert her gaze from Jiji's.

"Wait... Two and a half to three hours driving from Tokyo..." said Jiji as if he remembers something. "Anyway, where is your house, little missy?"

"My house is at Morioh-cho! And tomorrow is Sunday, I could telephone my brother if he would be at home and we could go visit my house tomorrow!" chirped Megumin happily, but for some reasons...

Why did Jiji start to sweat like something is wrong?

"Morioh... Uh... Not tomorrow little missy..." said Jiji while he scratches his head and looking left and right as if he remembers something important. "Why aren't you three go and watch television or something?"

"But tomorrow is Sunday, and onii-sama usually stays at home!"

"I... I just did not want to impose upon him, that's all... Holly did tell me about how he practically raise you alone after your mother's death and your father left you two to work overseas... I just don't wish to disturb him... That's all... That's all..."

"But thinking about this, we did never go to your home, Megumin, yet your brother has been here several times. I think it must be the time for us to go visit him!"

"NO! I mean... Think about this, a guy living alone, and did not expect us to come at all... He might be... Busy... With something... And do not want to be disturbed... Like at all..."

"We could phone him first and make an appointment. Maybe offers to take him eating outside somewhere so Yoshikage-san did not need to deal with extra house cleaning afterward," I said while Megumin nod in agreement, and...

Why did Jiji's face seem paler than usual? Is he sick or...

"What's wrong Papa?" said Darkness, apparently also concerned with her papa's sudden change in demeanor. "Are you sick?"

"COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!... SNORRRT!" Jiji suddenly comes in a fit of coughing, must be the weather combined with the strong smell of varnish finally caught up to him. "Well, I'm fine... Just feeling a need to rest for a while... COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"

"Uh, Papa! Shall I call granny?"

"COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!... No problem Lalatina... I could get there myself... COUGH! SNORRRT!" said Jiji, but at the same time...

"THAT PURPLE THING APPEARS AGAIN!" Darkness points out toward the purple vine that appears on Jiji's back while Jiji has his coughing fit.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"I see that too..." I said while trying to take a look behind Jiji's back, but found nothing.

"What?" said Jiji, as he suddenly pats his back in panic.

"Something appears from the inside of your body Papa and you never got sick at the first place!" said Darkness as she pats Jiji's back.

"Calm down, you two must inhale too much varnish vapor, just like me... COUGH! COUGH! Maybe it would be best for us to go out of this room first..."

...

"Why did Papa insist he was fine?" said Darkness, munching on some potato chips and drinking cola-cola while we end up at the living room, watching the television.

"Well, we already forced him to strip in front of your granny and we could found nothing. Not even a wound or something despite the vines clearly coming out from his body earlier. Hell, he even has the gall to think we are just pranking him to force him to strip to his boxers."

"But I can't see anything wrong with Joestar-ojiisan, aside of him seem to suddenly be under the weather," said Megumin while trying to reach the big bag of potato chips still clutched by Darkness, but the later just move it out of her reach.

"I sense something is wrong..." said Darkness while pouring some of the potato chips into her mouth.

*MUNCH* *MUNCH* *MUNCH*

"Oi Lalatina, don't hog all the chips!" I tried to pull the bag of potato chips from Darkness, yet she keeps a tight hold upon it.

"Stop calling me that name when it's just between us dammit!" Darkness raised the bag away from my hands.

"You already drink almost all the cola, and now you hog all the chips you sow!" said Megumin, who jump in trying to reach the said bag. "Those are ours, not just yours! Auntie Seiko said that!"

"My Papa is sick and both Papa and Granny still not permit me to even get a beer, thanks to you two mouthing off me in front of them!"

Ah well, for better or worse, after hearing how this lewd masochist got drunk in front of Yoshikage-san earlier, Jiji just act as any sane parents would, and that is banning her from consuming any kind of alcoholic beverages until she turned 20. Sure, apparently they do use to be much more permissive on that matter, but as far as things are going on right now, no more underage drinking for Darkness.

Yes, it's a pity that the drinking age is back to being 20. One thing that I really missed from Eris' realm is how the drinking age was 15. Sure, I did get a sip or two when Aqua ordered her steak and wine, but that didn't count in my opinion.

"That's your own fault dammit! If anything, I would bet Yoshikage-san has been traumatized from his very first encounter with you!" I tried to catch the chip bag while Megumin now latches upon Darkness' back, but it seems that, even with the cards stacked against her, Darkness is indeed still considerably faster than us.

"That's right! Onii-sama did feel awkward around her, up to the point that he actually ask about Aqua to avoid talking to this lewd masochist at the first place! Hearing lewd Lalatina the lustful lecher calls him an evil demon lord before asking him to torture her and fulfill his most debauched desire must be one of the most shocking things onii-sama has to endure!"

"But I do feel that your brother is ~creepy~ Megumin! He might not have ~Trashzuma~'s special quality, but I definitely feel his ~evil~ aura emanating! Just like when I go near a ~demon~!"

"STOP DRAGGING MY ONII-SAMA INTO YOUR PERVERTED MASOCHISTIC FANTASY, LEWD LALATINA THE LUSTFUL LECHER!" screamed Megumin as she pounding upon Darkness' back while the later is looking all dreamy about what I presume is her sick, twisted fantasy about the quiet, kindhearted guy that is Yoshikage-san.

"Stop calling me that! And don't blame me for thinking about that! Your brother did ~creep~ me out somehow! I do wish to ~meet~ him again because of Kazuma turned out to be Holly's son!" said Darkness in half-angry, half-dreamy demeanor that actually made me far more crept with her. "That brother of yours did give me the ~creeeeeps~! ~Ahhh~!"

This is simultaneously both the best and worst scenario being rolled into one, courtesy of our masochistic crusader Lalatina ojou-sama. Having her fawning upon Yoshikage-san is best because at least she would be less focused upon me, but having her actually outright thinking her most perverted fantasy from the start...

I could only keep crossing my fingers and hope Yoshikage-san wouldn't mind dating a hopeless masochist like her. You know, when someone only looks her at the outside, Darkness is indeed still being one of the most beautiful, aesthetically pleasing girls... But yeah, someone so polite and reserved like him, who actually notice the beauty of Aqua's hands instead of commenting about her skimpy clothes, must be someone who looking for deeper meaning than just outward appearances.

Anyway, seeing that Darkness' hold upon the chip bag seems to be weakened, I decided to seize the moment...

"FINALLY!" I said as I snatched out the chip bag out of her hands, before stuffing my face with them. "Iwf ywou kweep twhinkwing lwike thwis... GULP! In no time you will become famous as lewd Lalatina the lustful lecher!"

"It's not my fault! He did give me the ~creeeps~!" said Darkness as she tried to snatch back the bag of chips, but I managed to put them away with one hand and the other hand holding her advance. "Give me the potato chips ~Jojoooo~."

"NEVER! You already ate too much! And it's not like you could reach them..."

"Ufufufu... Your celebration is far too early, ~Joojoooo~..." said Darkness while breathing in, and out of sudden, her right arm turns longer with yellow crackles around it, snatching the bag of chips despite the distance.

"Awwwnd cwommwe awnd gwet iwt!" said Darkness as she pours the chip inside her mouth.

*CRUNCH* *CRUNCH* *CRUNCH*

"CHEATER! Using your Hamon sorcery is cheating dammit!"

"I won't give them to you even if you two ~torture~ and ~punish~ me! I shall not give this up!" said Darkness with the chip bag raised high.

"Alright since you were cheating already..." I summoned Whitesnake at my side. "Megumin! Seize the potato chips! I'll immobilize her with my stand!"

"~Ah~! The ~creeeepy~ stand!" said Darkness with glee as Whitesnake holding her body in a tight bear hug. I don't normally do that, but there's a bag of chips at the stake, so... "Jo... ~Where~ are you ~touching~ me?!"

"That won't work on us, lewd auntie Lalatina the lustful lecher," said Megumin as she smirks and finally yanked the bag of chips out of Darkness' hand.

To her credit, Darkness did still try to wiggle out of Whitesnake's grip to reach the potato chips, but while she might be physically stronger than me, there is simply no way for her to do anything against a stand. Avdol did tell me about how only another stand could have a chance of harming another stand.

"~Yes~! Held me... ~Tighter~..." said lewd Lalatina the lustful lecher as I realize that there's no need to hold her anymore, yet...

"How in the hell you managed to grasp Whitesnake with your bare hand? This should not be possible in the first place!"

"Huh?" said Darkness, apparently just realized that she is now the one who held Whitesnake's right arm and literally pinning him to the wall, while Megumin is just watching because she obviously can't see my stand...

From the television, I could hear the same song that was played at the ice cream stall two days ago...

 _._

 _She had an horror of rooms, she was tired_

 _~You can't hide beat~_

 _When I looked in her eyes they were blue but_

 _~Nobody home~_

 _She could've been a killer, if she didn't walk the way she do_

 _~And she do~_

 _She opened strange doors, that we'd_

 _~never close again~_

 _She began to wail jealousies scream waiting at the lights_

 _~know what I mean~_

 _._

 _Scary monsters, super creeps_

 _Keep me running, ~running scared~!_

 _Scary monsters, super creeps_

 _Keep me running, ~running scared~!_

 _._

*THWACK*

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"OH NO! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" screamed Jiji in newfound fury after he punched Whitesnake's face with his (stand-formed) left hand, causing me to stumble upon the floor with everyone turns silent over his sudden intrusion.

"And now we're back at the international news section," said the anchorwoman on the television screen.

"Continuing our previous report about the Halley Comet's deviation from its calculated trajectory, scientists from Imperial Japan Astronomical Society, has independently confirmed the reports made by their American colleagues and finished counting the new trajectory of the Halley Comet," said the anchorman as the screen changed into a series of photos taken from the last appearances of said comet.

"This is not what you thought..." I retort while nursing the painful bruise upon my face.

"Apparently the Comet was broken into two unequal parts, with the larger part predicted to continue on the new hyperbolic trajectory, heading outside the solar system, never to return," said the anchorwoman before the screen turned into some sort of telescope footage.

"Lalatina hog all the chips first, Joestar-ojiisan!" said Megumin in my defense. "We're just scrambling over the potato chips!"

"Taken from Hideki Tojo Observatory at Mount Baekdu, the smaller remnant of the Halley comet, theorized to hold the minor meteoroid that knocked it out of the predicted path, has caused an anomaly over its abnormally large trail of light, coming from sunlight reflected off by unexpectedly large amount of water vapor resulting from said collision."

"That's right Papa! We are not doing anything wrong! I swear!" said Darkness. "You should take a rest Papa! You are not well and must have mistaken!"

"And why did your stand going all over your aunt?!" said Jiji while poking Whitesnake's head with his sand-formed finger. "Do you think I will believe that...? Wait, why are you the one pinning Jozuma's stand to the wall Lalatina? That should be impossible!?"

At the television screen, I could see a beautiful, even mesmerizing trail of glowing lights coming from the telescopic footage.

"I... I tried using hamon to affect his stand?" said Darkness with a grin while Jiji scratches his head as if trying to process the newfound information.

"Spectroscopic reading of said water vapor trail reveals that the temperature is around 50 degree Celsius, definitely higher than far subzero ambient temperature around it," said the anchorwoman while the screen returns to the news studio.

"But you know that whatever affects the stand also affect its user!" said Jiji while he scratches his head. "While it might be an important finding that Hamon turned out to be able to affect stand without being a stand user... Just don't do it like that! You two are going to put a toll on my sanity!"

"As predicted before, the meteoroid resulting from a said collision will arrive near earth orbit in around a year. It would be a minor event as it will definitely burn when it reaches our atmosphere, yet before that, the trail of water vapor might give whatever place it lands upon a beautiful show of Aurora due to the abundance of charged water vapor around it," said the anchorman before the news changed into something about ships at a random African harbor.

"Maybe that wasn't Lalatina testing her hamon sorcery or something, but she is the one trying to molest Jojo at the first place?" said Megumin, apparently still annoyed on how...

"T... That was my daughter and my grandson you were talking about little missy! My daughter Lalatina is a precious, innocent girl! Don't you dare to start staining her with your own perverted thoughts?"

"Papa, just stop! You need to rest! Megumin you shouldn't..."

"And last night, the ship that was reported to be missing three to four years ago has been found drifting somewhere on the Namibian coast. Forensic teams have boarded the ships but found no trace of anything as the crews seems to be completely missing. Aside of some abandoned guns and a casket, nothing else of mention has been found upon that ship."

"Well, I'm just stating the facts?" said Megumin with a grin, even as I gave her sign to stop this before it blew out of proportion.

Jiji took a series of a deep breath and sighed.

"Well Jozuma, it seems that your flat-chested loli girlfriend needs to restrain her overly active imagination," said Jiji as he thoughtlessly mentioned Megumin as being a flat-chested loli. Sure that was the truth, but it did sound creepy coming from a sixty-five years old man, so...

"What did you say, Joseph?" said someone who apparently entering the living room because of our last ruckus.

"I just say that this perverted, flat-chested loli girlfriend of Jozuma need to be taught some manners," said Jiji in irritation before...

*GRRRK* *THUD*

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Now, as sudden, as it was, a familiar scarf come into our view, before Jiji end up being thrown across the room, while great-grandmother turned off the television with the remote control.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"A sixty-five years old man like you should not comment about an underage girl's figure!" said great-grandmother while pulling Jiji's ear likes he's some kind of overgrown teenager or such.

"This is not my fault! This little missy said Lalatina is the one who molests Jozuma's stand! Auch! That hurt mom! Ouch!" shouted Jiji in pain while we put our hands in front of our mouth to keep our not-so-secret chuckling from being heard.

"Pssst, Darkness... Is that true that learning Hamon gave the side effect of permanent PMS?" whispered Megumin to Darkness, but unlike before, with no sounds coming from the television.

"And watch your mouth you little missy!" said great-grandmother while we could see a vein popped on her forehead.

"Uh... Do I come at the wrong time?" said my mother, who also comes across as she carried the dried laundry from the lawn.

"Great, it's all set... Everyone is here," I said while commenting on the absurdity of this situation. "I, for one, wouldn't be surprised if we found Aqua sitting beside us, drinking the last of our Coca-Cola and finding our little argument as some sort of amusement. This is just how the slapstick comedy usually ends with."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

My admittedly offhand mention about Aqua did cause Jiji and great-grandmother to suddenly look at each other in alarm, before they drop everything and literally jump toward the furniture room, where stone-Aqua should still being held there.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Wow, it seems that the slightest mention of Aqua is enough to throw them into the state of panic," said Megumin while I and Darkness nod sagely at her statement. Leaving only my mother to stood confused looking at our antics.

"Anyway, what will they do once they realized that Aqua is still there, eh, Lalatina?" I said while Darkness seems to be really concerned over the fact that there are sounds of extremely high-intensity ultraviolet lights being turned on and visible from the shoji partitions, and how both of them screaming to each other to check at the security measures.

"Well, it seems they've come into conclusion that Aqua won't just end up suddenly awakened," said Megumin as the furniture room door opened, revealing a very pissed off great-grandmother.

"RUN!" said Darkness as she starts darting out of the living room, while I and Megumin immediately followed suit because it was always a good idea to run when the masochist is the one who flees first from a potential danger.

"COME BACK HERE YOU RASCALS! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU ALL PRANKING ME TODAY!" screamed great-grandmother while the three of us run for our lives out of the gate and into the street.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

"HAHHH! HAHHH HAHHH! HAHHH!" I never knew that great-grandmother could be that scary, we all running out to the streets all by pure flight reflex, and all of this high-speed escape did cause my stamina to be almost drained to nil.

"Haaah! Hah! Hah!" Darkness seems to be only lightly winded and able to maintain a straight posture, which is rather weird since I do think my own physical fitness should be better than what I have at Eris' realm. But why did my back seem like I'm carrying a heavy rucksack or something?

Wait a minute, a rucksack? And where is...

"MEGUMIN! WHY ARE YOU LATCHING ON MY BACK LIKE THAT?!" I screamed while realizing that the smallest member of our party of three did in fact, piggybacking on my back all the time without I am being aware at the first place.

"Well, you two are big and strong, and I could only jump at Jojo's back because he is slower than Darkness at the first place," said Megumin as she cheerfully jumps out from my now sore back.

"Oh great! Now you think us like some sort of pack animals for you to ride?" I summoned Whitesnake at my side and using him to pull Megumin's cheeks because I am honestly too tired to do it with my own body.

"Awwawwawwawwaww... Iwm sowwy Jowjowwww..." said Megumin but I didn't release her pulled cheeks that easily.

"Kuzugesukuzugesukuzugesu... What is that means Jojo?" said Darkness while pointing out toward Whitesnake's distinctive stripes.

"You could... Really read them?" Whitesnake released his grip from Megumin's cheeks, the later which could only glare furiously toward my face.

"Trash and scum?" said Megumin in confusion, as she is the one who cannot see Whitesnake here.

"That was the words written all around Jozuma's stand," said Darkness toward Megumin.

"That sounds a perfect fit for Jojo... Wait, Darkness, what's wrong with your teeth?"

"Eh?" Darkness touched her mouth, but as far as I could tell, there's nothing wrong with them.

"What is now, Megumin?" I asked her while Darkness seems to be confused about Megumin's sudden remark.

"I saw Darkness' teeth being a series of long and sharp teeth earlier, yet now they're already back to normal," said Megumin while scratching her own hand. "And now to think about it... Why are your hands looks like claws?"

And as Megumin mentioned about that, I reflexively look at Darkness hands and...

Yes, Darkness' hands did seem to turn into some sort of reptilian claws, and as we looked into her equally surprised face, her teeth did slowly, but surely turn longer and sharper...

" WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" screamed Darkness but her scream now sounds more like a roar.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 - Scary Scary Monster**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 19 April 1986**

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Darkness screams in panic, but her voice soon felt more like a roar as her features start to be distorted in monstrous fashion. "NNNOOOOOOOOO!"

Soon, not only her hands turn into a pair of reptilian claws and her teeth becomes a row of sharp fangs, there's a big and long tail growing out through her pants, and her visage just turned more bestial as her blue eyes' pupils turned into vertical slits.

"Dark... Ness?" Megumin tried to get close to her, but...

"HISSSSSS!" the monster that was once Darkness hissed, and I reflexively snatched Megumin away from the monstrous transformation of Darkness, as I am unsure if she was still herself or not. Looking at her being turned more and more reptilian by each passing second, Megumin and I could only watch in silence as her mouth formed a snout and her head elongated to form something that could only be described as lizard-like in appearance. Her mouth opened and letting a roar that only serves to accentuate her rows of sharp fangs even more.

"GRAAAAAA..."

Her hair turned into a series of nasty-looking spikes that swept back to the base of her head. Her white-and-yellow shirt seems to meld into her skin as her overall appearance turned gradually covered by more and more yellow-and-white scales, before black scales start showing up at her side in a series of stripes, spelling out 'DARKDARKDARKDARK' from the base of her head to the tip of her tail. Her hands now completely turned into a pair of large, nasty looking reptilian claws, and looking at her feet, they too, have grown larger and changed into a pair of nasty looking, curved talons.

"AAAAAAAAAOOO..."

Said roar did already cause a panic as people looking at her, looking at her scary, monstrous form, and start to flee in terror.

The creature that-was-Darkness then turned her head toward us, smacking Whitesnake with her tail in the process that caused me to be thrown onto the wall, and it clicked on me that she is now a...

"AAAAAARRRGGGHHH! DARKNESS TURNED INTO A DINOSAUR!" I screamed as said Dino-Darkness looks at my prone form, then look at Whitesnake, who still lay on the ground, before she grabs her tail, and emit a loud roar.

"THAT'S A WINGLESS DRAGON! NOT A DINOSAUR!" screamed Megumin back at me while people around us start to scream about dinosaurs and monsters while running away.

"Uh, Megumin... That was very clearly a dinosaur, not a Dragon, don't you ever learned about them in school?" I point out to Dino-Darkness who appears as if she tried to pat her own face with her claws.

"Onii-sama said real Dinosaurs have feathers! He showed me their pictures when I confused them with Dragons. The real dinosaurs were warm-blooded animals, being closer to birds than reptiles! Just look at her, no feathers! The featherless appearance meant she is a reptilian, and thus fits better being called as a wing-less dragon or frill-less lizard runner, but..."

And while Megumin continues her pedantic rant about the exact definition of Darkness' transformation, and why calling her as a dinosaur is just plain wrong, said Dino-Darkness already run away from us towards the east.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

"You know, this is all your fault Megumin! We lost Dino-Darkness now!" I said as we run at full speed toward the direction where she is going. With her dinosaur appearance, people tend to run as far as possible from her, with some other bystanders end up frozen in fear instead. We could know where she is going just by listening to the direction that has the loudest concentration of screams.

Of course, letting a Dinosaur running amok in downtown Tokyo is already a bad idea in itself, and there's already a series of car crashes already.

"My fault what? She is now Dragon-Darkness, not Dino-Darkness! DINOSAURS HAVE FEATHERS!" screamed Megumin while we could see Dino-Darkness changed her direction to avoid the busy traffic by swerving a bit to the north.

Before jumping across a wall in a single leap, and run across the neighboring residential area.

"Dammit! She's going to cause a lot of mayhem that way!" I said while pulling myself up to the two meters tall wall that Dino-Darkness easily jumps upon. "Megumin! Quick!"

"But..." said Megumin while trying to reach the top of the wall, and falls flat on her ass. Oh well, the side effects of staying being a 145 cm loli while myself, Aqua, and Darkness got significant growth boost in this new world.

"It can't be helped then," I said while ordering Whitesnake to pick Megumin up and slung her by the shoulder, climb over the wall, and land at my side as we continue to run, but...

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING JOJO?! DO YOU WANT TO SHOW MY PANTIES TO EVERYONE?!" screamed Megumin, and I then realize that she is practical upside down on Whitesnake's shoulder, with her skirt 'lifted' due to wind and the very simple fact that the fabric just pass through Whitesnake's body, probably because I only meant to lift her up and not really paying attention to her modesty.

"Alright fine! I'll cover that!" I said while Whitesnake pulls her skirt back and used his hand to rest on Megumin's ass, and Megumin did seem to feel it since her face turned deep red.

"DO YOU WANT TO MOLEST ME IN PUBLIC WITH YOUR INVISIBLE HANDS?"

"But Dino-Darkness..."

"COULD YOU JUST ORDER YOUR INVISIBLE GHOST TO LET ME PIGGYBACK ON HIM NORMALLY INSTEAD OF THAT?!"

...

It did take some time to properly adjust Megumin to piggyback on Whitesnake's back, primarily due to the fact that for her, it would be riding invisible, partially tangible ghost that the very tangibility itself actually depends on my willpower. But well, we finally managed it in the end; with she only slaps me twice for the attempts to grab her butt with Whitesnake's hands. Don't ask.

"She heads east again!" said Megumin while I do note that this route does seem familiar after we jump out of the residential area and back into the streets.

"OH CRAP!" I said as we run, actually, only Whitesnake and I run while Megumin riding on Whitesnake's back because it is faster that way. Along the way, I winced as there are some upturned vehicles and broken windows, apparently from her admittedly large tail and wailing claws.

"Joestar-ojiisan will pay for the repairs, yes?" said Megumin, and that give me flashbacks to all the debts we received from defeating Verdia.

"Don't tell anyone anything; I hope they won't even notice that the dinosaur is Lalatina Joestar so..."

"She is a Dragon, not a Dinosaur!"

"Please not this crap again!" I said while running through the public garden that should heads to our school, all while looking at the wreckage of everything Dino-Darkness left on her path-of-rampage.

She is near, however, as I could see a bike flying and smash into the hood and the front window of a white, 1984 model Toyota Corolla.

"MY CAR!" screamed someone who is apparently the owner of said car. Well, tough luck buddy, unless Jiji wants to pay up for this, it will go to put quite a dent, so...

"She's running that way!" said Megumin, pointing out toward the Dino-Darkness' silhouette that signed that she is now much closer, so...

"We must catch her before..." I said while my gaze suddenly met with someone familiar that is none other than Yoshikage-san himself, before realizing that this car is none other than the car he used every day... And the very same car he used to carry me back home when my face was being all bloodied thanks to my fight with Kakyoin.

"Jozuma-kun?" said Yoshikage-san, apparently astonished with how we met here.

"Ah! The onee-san from last Thursday! You date my brother?" said Megumin as I also realized that the woman who hugged Yoshikage-san is none other than the onee-san we met last Thursday.

Oh shit! I just ruined Yoshikage-san's date so... Well, maybe Jiji could afford to at least help Yoshikage-san with his car repair, and even if he refuses, my parents could easily afford it, there's no way I could get out of here without giving this kindhearted man who helped me a lot some sort of compensation.

"That was your car?" I said while bowing deep into Yoshikage-san's direction while pointing towards the car.

And Yoshikage-san only nods weakly at that while biting his nail, and I could see the onee-san gulped in panic as well, so...

"Uh... Sorry... That was... A Youkai! A Dinosaur-Youkai! I'm so sorry for your car, Yoshikage-san; you could bill the repairs to my home..." I said before resuming my run towards Dino-Darkness with Megumin still on top of Whitesnake. I could only hope that Jiji would not be too angry about being suddenly forced to pay for Yoshikage-san's car repair.

I could faintly hear Yoshikage-san mumbling something about how Dino-Darkness is not a dinosaur, but a Reptilian-Youkai because of something about feathers. I rolled my eyes as that means this must be Megumin's know-it-all aspect of chuunibyou rubbing off him at some point.

...

As we run following the opposite directions of panicked people, suddenly the trails of destruction stop rather abruptly, and there are sobbing cries coming from the inside of nearby alleyway.

And we found Darkness, already back into her human form, hugged her knees as she sobs inside the alleyway.

"Darkness?" I said as she raised her face, but she only averts her gaze away as soon as our eyes met.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME! *SOB* I AM A SCARY MONSTER!"

"Darkness..." said Megumin while trying to reach her, but Darkness only slapped her hand away.

"STAY AWAY! I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU!"

"Uh... Darkness, listen... You know, with all the supernatural shits going around... You see I have Whitesnake, and he's a pretty freaky guy, but he's not a monster, just a stand..."

"But I am a scary monster! *SOB* And I don't know if I end up hurting you again just like I slap away your stand with my monster tail!"

"Wait, isn't that was obviously an accident... You know under normal circumstances, you should not be able to see my stand, according to Avdol anyway, right?" I tried to remember why we are here, and suddenly, I remember that Avdol did say something in line with...

'Your body is a link between you and your children, Mr. Joestar. You are connected by invisible rope to your existing descendants, so if your stand power were to be awakened, your currently existing daughters would be affected as well.'

"You could see my stand, and then could affect my stand with your bare hands! That Dinosaur form of yours must be something stand-related!" I said as I remember Avdol's warning to Jiji. "Well, your Papa did graft something he got from a dog in New York to be his stand, so I guess it ends up awakening your own stand as well and that means... That dino-form of yours might be a stand, and since you are my aunt... My mother..."

Darkness also raised her head in alarm.

"Did Holly..." said Darkness with fear in her voice.

"HOLY SHIT! I hope my mom didn't end up turned into a dinosaur like you!"

"Uh Jozuma, Darkness, your form is not a dinosaur, but reptilian, like a dragon, dinosaurs have feathers," said Megumin before I shut her mouth with my hand.

"We must go back to my house before My Mom ends up turning into something else or freaked out by something coming out from her body!"

...

Well, putting aside the worry about my mother that gnaws into my mind, the walk back to my house end up being uneventful, as both the Police and IJA patrol end up totally ignoring the three of us.

It seems that I do owe Yoshikage-san once again, as it would be very easy for him to inform the authorities that I was involved... But as far as I could tell, the only car parked in front of my house was Yoshikage-san's broken car, with the broken bike being tied up on top of that.

My mother did look fine, she sat near the table with Yoshikage-san and the onee-san from before, and we end up exchanging polite nods, acknowledging each other.

"Mom? Are you alright?" I said while looking for any weird things that could be coming out from my mother.

"I am alright, but your grandfather's sickness seems to worsen..." said mother with concern in his voice. "He is currently sleeping in your room."

"Papa?!" said Darkness as she darts out immediately into my room.

"Megumin, stay here and keep an eye on my mother..." I said while my mother looking at us with concern.

"What is happening Jozuma?"

"You could see Whitesnake, right?" I said while Whitesnake waving his hand in front of my mom's face.

"Right, so?"

"I'll explain to you later! Forgive me Yoshikage-san for all this mess, I wil explain later..." I said while bowing again to Yoshikage-san, who could only raise his eyebrows over how chaotic the situation is. "Where is great-granny?"

"She's on the phone, currently consulting something with Avdol, she said she regrets thinking you three are pranking her earlier about the purple vines that grew out of your grandfather's body," said my mother before I resume running into my room.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Dammit... I hope it is not too late...

 ***** SIDESTORY *****

 **Sidestory 3 - A story of bizarre coincidences**

 **Morioh-cho, Japan, 19 April 1986**

I stirred the bowl of ethanol before using the solution to rinse my girlfriend. Sure, as in every biological material, the ripening process should already be started as soon as she was separated from her useless body, but it was a simple matter of chemistry to help preserve her beauty for a longer time.

"It may take for a while, so don't get too drunk, heh..." I smiled while putting her under the cleaning solution for a while, before gently cleaning the place between her fingers by soft brush. "Well, I know it must be too stimulating for you, and so does I, but you need this to stay clean. We could have fun soon after finishing this, I promise."

"And as good as new!" I raised my girlfriend from the solution before drying her with a paper towel. "Hmmm... What's wrong? You don't like your bath?"

I sniffed my girlfriend's exposed flesh and found it still smells a little.

"Well, maybe you'll need extra time underneath," I said while submerging her under the ethanol solution for five more minutes before rinsing and drying her again.

"Hmmm, usually they don't need stronger kinds of stuff this early but..."

I opened the cabinet to get some camphor balls. Storing my girlfriends in a closed container with them often does the trick when Ethanol bath is not sufficed, however...

"Oh well, it looks like I forgot to stock them," I said while realizing that my camphor stock has been emptied. "Well, forgot that those are used when I tidy up Megumi-chan's new room."

Without those camphor balls, there's a chance that my girlfriend's ripening would go faster than expected. It's a pity that the stores of Morioh-cho only sells those cheap mothballs instead of high-quality, pure camphor balls. Cheaper Para-dichlorobenzene mothballs might still ward away the smell for a time, but it was insufficient to properly slows down the ripening and preserve my girlfriend's beauty for a significant time.

Sure, technically I could just get a new girlfriend, but looking at my nails, they didn't grow up yet so there's no need to get another early on.

"Maybe this is rather sudden, but we need to go to Tokyo to buy some high-quality camphor balls just for you," I said while ensuring my girlfriend has been well-dried.

After draining the cleaning solution into the sink, I put the now well cleaned, dried girlfriend inside my bag, and got into my car because only a few stores in Tokyo sold the high-quality camphor balls I need.

...

 **Tokyo, Japan, 19 April 1986**

Sure, while I'm at it, it would be better to buy other household needs altogether. Buying a 5kg bag of high-quality camphor balls and several pairs of disposable latex gloves might raise some questions, but not when it was bought alongside a large jerry can of ceramic cleaner, a bag of synthetic garden fertilizers, some mop-head refills, a broom, a can of insecticides, as well as some washcloths.

"Evening already?" I said to myself while putting the plastic bags inside the trunk.

As I drive my car alongside the residential area, I smelled something nice coming from the nearby stall, and my stomach grumbled a little.

"Maybe I could grab a bite here too..." I noticed that this is the public garden near Megumi-chan's school. "It would be some quick grab, and the chance I would meet Megumi-chan or Jozuma-kun on Saturday evening is practically null anyway."

...

"Hmm, this is not as good as St. Gentleman's sandwiches, but at least it was fair for its price..." I talk to myself after trying some bites upon the burger. Well, it wasn't surprising, considering the difference in price and how this stall was supposed to cater for high school students instead of the general public, but...

"Well, of course, St. Gentleman is way better than this, only an idiot would think this kind of burger being better than the fried katsu sandwich," said someone at my side with an irritated tone as if I rubbed her the wrong way.

Looking at the next table, I could see a young lady that seems to be only slightly older than me. She is lithe with sharp curves on her fingers, her fingernails being properly trimmed, painted pinkish-white, and the way she grasps her ice cream spoon is nothing short but graceful.

And my nails grew slightly as I saw her.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"I'm sorry but I only talked to myself, miss..." I decided to play it safe, I already have a girlfriend, but maybe she could be a future reference so there's nothing to lose with giving her my charming smile. "Sorry if I startled you..."

"Oh... Whatever..." said the young lady while returning to her ice cream, not even bothering to look at me as she tossed her shoulder-length black hair.

Hooo... I like this kind of girl, the one who playing hard to get and temperamental. But as I currently don't have any knife or rope on my person right now...

"You know St. Gentleman? Those are rather some distance away from here, at Morioh-cho."

"Morioh-cho is my hometown," said the young lady while she looks back at me with an annoyed face. "You said you are just talking to yourself!"

"I was talking to myself miss, but since you were the one who starts talking to me..."

"Whatever then, I'm already taken, so don't even try to pull anything funny with me, understand?" said the young lady in not-so-friendly tone, and I just rolled my eyes at just how high-and-mighty this girl think of herself. That kind of girl did give the best pleasure when I finally brought her down and savor the fear in their face.

And my fingernails grew again...

"Don't take me the wrong way, miss... I was born and raised at Morioh-cho, too, and still resides there, only get here because of my study. If you feel my statement irritates you, feel free to not answer that, miss, have a good day," I said to her politely before resuming eating my hamburger in silence.

Five minutes passed in relative silence. Well, I do still have my current girlfriend, so if she didn't get the bait, that's not a big loss anyway.

"Oh... So you are from Morioh-cho too?" said the young lady while finishing up her ice cream. It seems that turning her into my girlfriend is possible and could be very rewarding, but I must remain very careful, so...

"..." I just nod my head alongside the music that plays on the radio, my favorite song, nonetheless.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" said the young lady while I decide to keep my silence.

 _._

 _Recommended at the ~price~_

 _Insatiable an ~appetite~_

 _~Wanna try?~_

 _._

 _To avoid ~complications~_

 _She never kept the same address_

 _In conversation_

 _She spoke just like a ~baroness~_

 _._

"Are you deaf or something?" said the young lady while I finally look toward her face and feign a look of ignorance.

"Oh... Pardon me, miss... That's my favorite song playing on the radio, and I thought you were talking to yourself," I smiled while confidently looking at her brown eyes.

"Well, I'm sorry if I were rude earlier, who knows with so many men trying to hit on me," said the young woman haughtily and I sighed, this one must literally have her heads on the clouds due to her being a pretty one.

"Well miss, you do say that you've already been taken and I should not try anything funny with you. Well, I only honor your wish, nothing more, nothing less," I said with a disinterested gaze and slightly shaking my head.

Well, this is the critical point of what makes it or break it. If this young woman is too strong headed, turning her into my girlfriend would be too risky. But if she took the bait...

"Wait... If you do live in Morioh, why I never remember seeing you... Ano..."

"My name is Kira Yoshikage," I said while offering her my hand. "I rarely venture out since my parents did tell me to focus on my study, to be honest."

"Higashikata... Tomoko..." said the young lady with a neutral smile as I grasp her soft hand and feel the sharp curves of her lithe fingers.

"Studying here too?" I said as I regrettably must release my grasp from her hand.

"Used to, but now I'm a practicing teacher at a middle school near here," she said with a wry smile on her face.

"Middle school teacher? I myself studied literature..."

"My background in math and science, dealing with teaching things like Sin(A+B)..."

"Sin(A+B) is (Sin(A).Cos(B))+(Cos(A).Sin(B)) ; I still remember that from my days at the high school miss... Those are trigonometric identities, aren't they?"

"Oh my, are you sure you aren't actually a science student?" said the young lady with a slight laugh.

"I studied literature because of my passion with words, Higashikata-san," I smiled as the young lady seems to fight as blushes start to appear on her face. Those who act the haughtiest are often the easiest to take down, after all. "Do you commute from Morioh-cho or..."

"I tried to, but it was a tiresome journey to have every day," said the young lady with a smile. "I just recently move to a cheap apartment at the Westside."

"Well, I do have a car, so I opt to commute to attend my classes."

"Oh..."

"Hmmm, your house is at Morioh-cho, right? Mine is the old samurai villa at the north-east; Jozenji road 1-28."

"Eeeeh? Jozenji road? We literally live on the same road then, my house is at 1-6."

Oh good, so she literally could be said to live next door to me... I smiled while thinking about the best way to make her enter my car by her own volition. Sure, if we're neighbors, she won't really raise any eyebrows if I offer her ride when she wants to go home to Morioh then?

"You were regular here, right?" well, I already make my mind on this young lady, as soon as my current girlfriend turned overly ripe, she would then be my next girlfriend, so I need to make a good rapport with her without being seen as her close friends. Someone that she won't think about too much to tell her family about me, but also won't reject a friendly offer to ride back to Morioh.

"Well... I do love the ice cream here..." she said while looking as if she remembers something she didn't really want to talk. "Well, I was placed here because there's currently no need for a math or science teacher at the Middle Schools of Morioh-cho. I missed my home, but my parents told me that it would be better for me to work here for a while."

"Well, I missed my home... Or what should be what used to be my home... It all started when my mother died three years ago, and my father ends up working overseas in Egypt. I used to live with my little sister until she went into high school here..."

"Your little sister study here too?" said the young lady as she raised her eyebrows.

"In fact, that is her high school," I smiled while pointing at the obvious building visible from here.

"So you are coming here to visit your little sister?" said the young lady, and I smiled.

"As a matter of fact, maybe... I wish to visit her, but as girls her age, she already has a boyfriend, so I don't really want to disturb their time. Maybe I'll just drive in front of the place where she lodges and looks at the situation before deciding to either visit her or not... I often still can't believe that my sweet little sister would be soon turned into a proper adult."

"Well, everyone grows..." said the young lady with a smile. "I wish I could go home and visit my son too, but my parents often insist to have my focus on my work first..."

Oh, so she is already a married woman, well, this complicates things, but it's not like I don't have any experiences with married women... Kukuku...

"Why are you laughing about?"

"Well, your husband also works here, right?" I said politely, trying to gauge her reaction upon being reminded that she is already married. If she suddenly turns out to close herself and flee, no problem, I could always look for another girl as my girlfriend is still on acceptable condition, but if she ends up ranting about her husband like some others...

"..." The young lady didn't immediately answer my inquiry about her husband, but only look down with a blush on her face.

"What's wrong, Higashikata-san?"

"I... I am... Still unmarried..."

I raised my eyebrows and tried to keep my face neutral. Unmarried mother is a rarity here, but then I do remember hearing my father talking about 'Ryohei's daughter is a slut, she got knocked up yet she refuses to tell who's the father' when he talks about 'the birds and the bees' to Megumi-chan. I don't usually have interested in such rumors... However...

"Wait, aren't you the daughter of Officer Higashikata Ryohei?"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Y... Yes," said the young lady, apparently surprised that I knew about his father. Sure, it would be even easier now to turn her into my girlfriend. She is a slut who rumored to open her legs for any men who pay, and while never personally confirms that, girls like her are among the easiest to make disappear and nobody would be bothered to look.

"Don't worry, I won't say anything..." I smiled as I thinking about ways to be seen as someone who sympathizes with her. Considering her refusal to admit who's the father of her son, it won't be a stretch if she has an affair with a married man, so... "You've said you were taken earlier so I would assume that he is in no position to marry you, right?"

The young lady only slowly nods and thus confirming my suspicion.

Well, you are in my grasp now.

"Those are often the most tragic of love story..." I said while looking sad and sympathetic to her plight by thinking the most brutally romantic scenario available to make her eat my bait. "He knows about his son, right?"

The young lady only shook her head and looking down.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Higashikata-san," I said while looking sad and focusing my gaze at my own half-empty glass of juice.

Well, if she didn't say anything in five minutes, better politely exit and offer to talk at a later date. I have time on my side, so there's no hurry to do anything that fast.

"I... I just don't have the courage to tell him..." she said when it's about four and a half minutes already.

"He still calls you?"

"No... In fact, I did not know how to contact him... I only met him several times four years ago, but he did leave a long lasting impression in my life."

Ouch... Being seduced by a married man and then dumped. That's so savage!

"You don't know how to contact him?"

"We met at Rengatei Deux Magots Cafe, and have met there several times in 1982."

"You didn't ask his numbers?"

"He did give me his private numbers, but I just don't have the courage to call him..." the young lady's eyes are now obviously damp as if she were really, really, really missed that man, even I started to feel genuine sympathy to her.

Oh, wait a moment, no, don't think about that... I should focus on the task at hand that is gaining her trust and turn her into my 'proper' girlfriend in the future...

"If you only met him several times... Wait, you know his name right, wait... Don't tell me about his name, I don't want to make your wounds even more painful, Higashikata-san..."

"Yes, of course, I knew him, he's quite a famous person..." said the young lady while slowly shaking her head.

Ouch, must be an actor, a politician, or a big name businessman.

"You don't try to sue him to be responsible for his actions?"

"I... I... I can't... I love him... I don't want him to think I am just a gold digger..."

Wait, so she is the one in love with 'that man', and don't want to be seen as a gold digger? Well, this could be difficult, but I do enjoy challenges from time to time... So...

"He must be a very rich and famous man indeed..."

"How do you know?"

"You said you don't want to be seen as a 'gold digger' right? That way, whoever he is, he must be someone rich and famous if you afraid for others to see you as a gold digger if you sue the father of your child."

The young lady just closes her mouth, shaking her head before looking outside of the stall.

"He said himself that he only visits Japan on occasions, he once said he has family here, but I don't know if that was true or just a lie..."

Well, this should be enough, she already opens herself up to me, and anything beyond this would either end up with her avoiding me or worse, actually falls hard that her disappearance might end up traced back to me.

"Let's talk about something lighter then, Higashikata-san..." I said with a smile while looking at the ice cream menu and carefully position myself to be closer to her, but still within a respectable distance. "I'll buy you an ice cream if you wish since I've made you sad."

"T... Thank you... Kira-san... But I think I had enough ice cream today." she smiled softly and I limit myself to a neutral smile.

Well, that's why the haughtiest women are often the easiest to crack, as their outward appearances are nothing but a facade to hide their most fragile core.

"It's almost night... I wish to check my sister first... So... Maybe we could meet again? Next week here? Or..."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Kira-san," said the young lady.

"Do you need a ride to your apartment then? My sister did live just west of here, so if you don't mind..."

"Don't worry about that, Kira-san," said the young lady with a smile on her face. "I ride my bicycle, so..."

Suddenly, there's a series of screams coming from the street, and a lot of people seems to run away in the chaos.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

"W... What's happening?" said the young lady while we reflexively look outside. Only to meet with several people running away scared screaming about 'monster', and 'dinosaur' in complete panic. There are also sounds of cars being crashed and...

"Dinosaur?" I just can't believe with what I just hear.

"KYAAAAAA!" the young lady, or should I say, Higashikata-san, suddenly pointing out toward a large reptilian creature that runs on the pedestrian way toward us before reflexively grab me in a panicked hug.

It was lizard-like, with a mostly white-and-yellow scaly skin, with yellow spikes protruding backward out of its head. It has a long tail and at her side, I could see long, interconnected series of black stripes spelling out 'DARKDARKDARK' from the base of its head to the tip of its tail. It has two nasty looking claws on the front, and its legs are a pair of large, nasty looking black talons. Its mouth is partially opened, revealing a series of long, sharp fangs that looks really nasty.

That is obviously NOT A DINOSAUR, that's a reptilian monster. Dinosaurs have feathers, they were far closer to birds, being warm-blooded and feathered. Sure, this monster did looks like a raptor-type dinosaur, but everybody who reads well about science will know that all raptor-type dinosaur actually have feathers covering their body, made them looks more like an oversized bird with teeth instead of...

And said reptilian monster end up running past us, who could only look confused... But it did heads into a bike parked near the street and...

"NOT AGAIN! MY BIKE!" Higashikata-san screamed while said monster crashed into her bike and threw it into the air...

Only to land directly at the hood of my car and breaking the front window...

"MY CAR!" I said while reflexively bite my nails as this is literally the worst thing coming out of nowhere. It just feels so... Surreal...

"She's running that way!" said someone who sounds like Megumi-chan, and...

What the fuck?

Seriously, what the fuck? Am I dreaming?

Because Megumi-chan is now obviously flying at the side of Jozuma-kun, while the later is running more or less normally.

"We must catch her before..." said Jozuma-kun before he looks toward us with an equally shocked face. "Yoshikage-san?"

"Jozuma-kun?"

"Ah! The onee-san from last Thursday!" said Megumi-chan, who is now apparently riding on something invisible rather than flying. "You date my brother?"

"That was your car?" Jozuma-kun points out in my car, which is broken with Higashikata-san's bike lodged in the front window before I could deny whatever Megumi-chan just said.

I could only slowly nod while biting my nail deeper and deeper, it bleeds so this can't be a dream...

"Uh... Sorry... That was... A Youkai! A Dinosaur-Youkai! I'm so sorry for your car, Yoshikage-san, you could bill the repairs to my home..." said Jozuma-kun before resuming to run toward the reptilian monster, and Megumi-chan resumes her ride on whatever invisible thing she rides upon.

"Youkai? Dinosaur? That's not a dinosaur! Dinosaurs have feathers! That's a reptile! That's a Reptilian-Youkai! Not a Dinosaur-Youkai!" I stopped gnawing on my fingernails, remembering that yes, Aqua-san is one, this must be another Youkai running wild, and this Youkai can't be a dinosaur because dinosaurs have feathers!

It makes sense in a way though, the reincarnations, Aqua-san being thousands of years old Youkai sleeping under Jozuma-kun's house... And now he and Megumi-chan apparently end up chasing around a reptilian Youkai.

Why did he said I could bill the repairs to his home though, is this somehow his fault, to begin with?

"How... How do I get to my apartment now?" said Higashikata-san, and I just realized that there is no way I could get away with turning her into my proper girlfriend. Megumi-chan thought we were dating and just dart out before I could properly deny it.

And I still have my girlfriend inside my bag, nonetheless... Sure, there's only a small chance someone will try to snoop upon my bag, but considering how bizarre this evening is...

I should've just staying home, let my girlfriend turns ripe, and looking for a new one without going too far, that way, I would not get dragged into this kind of mess!

"I ONLY WANT A QUIET, PEACEFUL LIFE, DAMMIT!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 - Unforeseen Side Effects**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 19 April 1986**

"JIJI!" I said as I entered my room, and finding him being buried under very thick layers of blankets only feed my concern even more. "What's wrong?"

"Close the door... It's cold..." said Jiji weakly as he barely peeks from inside the blankets that cover the entirety of his body, even covering his head. I closed the door before sitting at his side and grabbed his right hand... It feels rather cold, so...

"Hang on, I'll remove the Fool, so you would feel better..." I said while Whitesnake moves to remove the stand disc from Jiji's head, but to my surprise, Jiji raised his left hand to softly push aside Whitesnake's hand.

"Sssh, there is no need for that... Can you two just let this old man get some sleep? Everything would be better tomorrow, I promise," said Jiji before resuming putting his head under the blankets again.

"But Papa! Holly also saw the purple vines coming out of your body, and something happened to me as well, you should have your stand removed before..."

"Oh come on! You know that I made of tougher stuff!" whispered Jiji in an obviously annoyed tone. "Free-falling from orbit with one arm and survived to tell the tale, I just need my rest! That's all!"

"But the purple vines we see earlier!"

"Oh? This?" said Jiji, poking his right arm out of the blankets, and after a while the purple vines we only get glimpses of earlier turned out to burst out of his hand.

"Those... Those..."

"I only realized about them after Holly points that out, but since I could now consciously control them, this could be simply something related to The Fool," said Jiji wiggling those purple thorny vines for a time before retracting them back into his hand. "This is not something that you should be worried about, so..."

"Those ~wiggling~ vines ~writhing~ on my Papa's hand..." said Darkness, being red-faced showing part disgust, part exhilaration at those purple vines. "They look like those ~tentacles~ I've read in Jozuma's secret books that granny burned three days ago!"

"HMPPPFFF!" I reflexively choked on my own laugh over Darkness' unfortunate statement. On the second look, now those wiggling, writhing vines that appeared on Jiji's hand definitely looks like those hentai tentacles. I would bet that Darkness will lose the disgust part on her emotion if those are coming from anyone but her own Papa.

"OH MY GOD! LALATINA! DON'T SAY THAT!" Jiji screams in horror as he is obviously absolutely horrified at how his precious, innocent daughter ends up mentioning that in front of him.

Well, that's our Lalatina, Jiji; overly active imagination of her combined with her super creepy masochism, hope you like it because she is your daughter now, and it's not like you could hide behind a facade of detached noble like what happened in our previous life. Seriously, Darkness' father back then did know about her, ehem, affliction, and tried to get her a nice match. Sadly, before she knows me, she only wants someone that is the scum of the scums, and after that, well... Better not thinking about that, she's my aunt now... It would be a different matter if Megumin is the one who ends up as my cute little sister and Darkness is the one who is not related, but...

Dammit, what am I thinking? Should try to limit those kinds of fantasies Jozuma! Dammit! Think about what Yoshikage-san would say if he knew you are being that kind of pervert!

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" said someone as the door opened, and Jiji is rather quick to hide inside the mass of blankets once again.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

"Oh, hi great-granny," I said awkwardly as great-granny just looking exasperated at us but softened once she looks at how Jiji still being under the pile of blankets.

"What happened? I heard your father scream, so..." said great-grandmother to Darkness.

"Papa shows us his ~long~, ~wiggling~, ~writhing~..." said Darkness with her inappropriate red face, which immediately earned her...

*THWACK!*

Great-grandmother's fist on top of her head.

"Myou..."

"If you want to say those purple vines seen by Holly earlier, don't say it like it was something inappropriate!"

"But great-granny, if you don't burn my hentai manga collections, you could see their similarities with those tentacles..."

*THWACK!*

"YOU ARE THE WORST FOR CORRUPTING LALA LIKE THIS!" said great-grandmother while I could only lie on the floor, holding the nasty bump on my head.

Corrupting Lalatina? That should be the reverse, you old witch!

"Hey mom, could you just stop and drag those two rascals out of this room? I need my sleep..." Jiji peeks out his blanket coverings before quickly hides back underneath. And as if he just forgot to cough... "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"

"Avdol said that those who lack the mental strength to cope with their stands would have symptoms of fever and abnormally high body temperature," said great-grandmother, who sat on Jiji's side and took his right hand from underneath the blanket. "Yet your hand is cold to touch."

"This is something..." said Jiji before stopping as he said something different to my great-grandmother. "Well, maybe this is the result of The Fool developing a new ability, but..."

"So?"

"I won't die just because The Fool apparently develops a new ability mom, it will take just a night of good sleep and..." said Jiji, now claiming that his sickness is a side effect of his new stand power, apparently something about The Fool, but why did I never end up sick? Maybe I am indeed tougher than Jiji? At least mental wise?

"I couldn't detect if anything is wrong with you through Hamon," said great-grandmother in a very concerned voice. "Avdol did say that he is worried if Holly, of all people, start developing her stand and become sick over that, but why are you ending up being the one who gets sick, and it was all of a sudden instead of being a gradual one."

"Oh yeah, Holly," said Jiji while he keeps mumbling underneath the layers upon layers of blankets. "Tell Jozuma to remove her stand if she proves incapable to withstand that, but..."

"Should you be more worried about... Yourself?" I said as I summoned Whitesnake at my side. "You know that in this situation I should just take The Fool out of your head so you won't be sick, right?"

"Errr... Just don't worry about me too much. COUGH! COUGH! I have a feeling that this is just a natural process over developing those purple vines. I would be fine tomorrow, I promise!" said Jiji, seemingly being annoyed of our presence here. "I just need to become accustomed a bit, nothing more than that."

"Accustomed? Did they do something or..." said great-grandmother, apparently pondering on the possibilities.

"Uh, Jiji... Maybe I should take The Fool out of your head for a while and return at you later. You know, Yoshikage-san, Megumin's brother, is here, right?"

"..."

"Jiji?"

"Did... Did they want to meet me, specifically? I mean... Am I really needed out there?"

"No, but..."

"Why did he come here when I need to get accustomed with my stand?"

"Joseph, Avdol said that stand-related sickness will result in fever and high temperatures, but you end up with the opposite symptoms," said great-grandmother while opening blankets that cover Jiji's face...

And we did see his face being literally drenched in cold sweat, and his expression is something you expect with someone who is in fear of their life.

"What happened Papa?" said Darkness, who is also concerned with Jiji's condition.

"No... No... It's nothing... Don't... Don't worry about me... I will be fine tomorrow..." said Jiji with a smile that is obviously forced.

"What happened to you? You never this frightened before..." said great-grandmother while Jiji immediately hides his head under the blankets again.

"Uh, something... About my newly developed ability... I'm fine... I'm fine..."

"Joseph! You are obviously NOT. FINE." said great-grandmother while she tries to open Jiji's blanket coverings, but found it being held very tightly. "What frightened you like that?"

"I... I... I must face my own worst nightmare... I just know it... I might look like this for a night... But I would be fine... It is the required process! When you get a stand you'll understand! Just ask Jozuma!"

"Me?" I said while great-grandmother is looking at me. "Well, I never get sick, but uh... Whitesnake's abilities... Never really explore them, so..."

"Joseph, please be rational! You are obviously frightened by something, and as far as I know, the stand you took from that dog in New York should be something related to sand," said great-grandmother as Jiji covered his head back under the blanket. "As far as we know, there's no stand being related to nightmare..."

"Nightmare? Hmm... But I don't recall Whitesnake spitting on your face Jiji..." I said reflexively, thinking on what I have done to Kakyoin, but then great-grandmother just looking at me with suspicion.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Your stand, not only have the ability to steal the others' stand and memories but also creating nightmare?" said great-grandmother with raised eyebrows, while I could see even Jiji did peek his eye out of his cover of blankets.

"You can give me ~nightmares~!" said Darkness in a much happier tone than it would be appropriate.

"To be honest, yes... But I didn't recall Whitesnake ever spitting on Jiji's face... No don't look at me like that; Whitesnake's spit did have both hallucinogenic effects that made you see undead and monsters, while still being acidic enough to melt human skin. You already knew about Kakyoin case, right?"

"I want to prove that! PLEASE SPIT AT ME..." said Darkness, who now practically grabs Whitesnake by the collar and begged to be spat upon.

"OH MY GOD!"

*THWACK!*

"STOP BEING THAT CREEPY LALA!" said great-grandmother in irritation before realizing something even more important as Darkness is now practically hanging from Whitesnake's neck. "You could 'touch' stands now? That's..."

"Oh well... Shall I tell them your story...? Or..." I looked at Darkness, who could only take a breath and sighed. Of course, with another matter that is her wrecking Yoshikage-san's car and apparently ruined his date.

"Granny, Papa... I... I... After granny angrily chasing us off to the streets, I end up turning into... A Scary Monster..." said Darkness.

And Jiji basically jolts himself into sitting position as soon as he heard that.

"Scary Monster?!" said Jiji and great-grandmother in unison.

"Y... Yes... But I'm not sure if..."

"Well, Lalatina... Maybe you could try transforming here so they would understand," I said while Whitesnake positioned his hand around Darkness' head.

"Wait... I don't think that would be..." said Darkness, apparently unsure about what would happen.

"If you get out of control, Whitesnake could take your stand disc out of your head anyway," I said confidently. "Or should I just took both your stand and memory discs and let them observe?"

"NOOOOOO!" said Darkness with her face turning red.

"Jozuma! You should never peek at Lalatina's memories like that!" scold Jiji, apparently concerned that I will take advantage of her.

"Well... That's why I tell her to try transforming here... Don't look at me like that, auntie Lalatina. You only run and wreck things that block your path. You didn't end up attacking innocent people. I think you will found it would be easier to be in control of your stand as long as you keep your focus on that. You can do that! I believe in you, auntie Lalatina!"

"Myou..." said Darkness in a whimper, but she did close her eyes, take a deep breath, and seemed to try to focus herself.

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"Oh... My... God..." said Jiji as he looks at how Darkness' hands transformed into a pair of claws, and there's a tail poking out of her skirt.

"That was stand related?" said great-grandmother.

"She could touch and interact with stands more or less freely now, so it's likely that was her stand," I tried my best to explain, but I still don't know much about them. "Maybe you should call Avdol, or..."

"You are a dinosaur!" said Jiji as Darkness' transformation is complete and she opened her eyes, showing the vertical-silted blue eyes.

"And you are still in control!" I pat her shoulder while Dino-Darkness' eyes only look at me warily. "Now try transforming back to human... Come on, you can do it..."

Without much further ado, the dinosaur parts subsided and her face gradually turned into a human again. Leaving Jiji and great-grandmother looking at each other with confusion on their faces.

"Well, I think only stand users could see stands but..."

"That must be something like The Fool, it needs to be bound upon something, and that stand of yours is bound to your own body..." said Jiji while reflexively doing some tricks with her left hand, inverting it to become a right hand, and back at being a left hand.

"You're not afraid that I am a Scary Monster now?" said Darkness in disbelief.

"Well, as long as that transformation is not permanent... Why not? In fact, that should be very handy in combat situations..." Jiji raised his eyebrows as we talk further about the situation earlier.

...

"Which reminds me, you said she wreck things up?"

"Well, I do end up... Well, breaking some things on my path... And..." said Darkness, apparently either ashamed about what she has done or genuinely not paying attention.

"During her initial transformation, she wrecked some cars, but one of the most important things is she wrecked Yoshikage-san's car, that's why he's here..." I said while averting my gaze toward Darkness' guilty face. "Nobody else knew that dinosaur is Lalatina, but Yoshikage-san and his girlfriend because he has been very kind toward me, I would feel extremely guilty if he did not receive his compensation... So..."

"So they are here because Lalatina wrecked their car?" said Jiji in exasperation, and I do notice that Jiji refers to Yoshikage-san as plural, but maybe that's just Jiji thinking Yoshikage-san already married or something. "Alright, tell them they could have $10000! You don't have to get me off just for that! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"

"What?" I am just being very confused on how easy Jiji just give $10000 for Yoshikage-san, someone he has not even met. As far as I know, that could easily buy you a new car already. But maybe that's the perk of being a billionaire.

"And told them that was from... From Sadao... Errr... The Kujo family... No, don't look at me like that, I'll give you the money, but just tell your mom to claim she is the one giving them the money. I just want you to be in your future in-laws' good grace, that's all."

"Owh..." why did Jiji don't just tell them the money is coming from Joseph Joestar himself or the Speedwagon Foundation then?

"Why don't you just give them a check?" said great-grandmother, apparently puzzled with Jiji's very specific order.

"Because that would have my name on that!" said Jiji as he looks around to our confused faces. "No, I meant, what's wrong with me trying to help Sadao's image? And since he would be Jozuma's in-law... Well?"

"But Megumin knew you were here, so..."

"That's why you should tell them the money is from your father, not me! You are the one who told them about stands being Youkai or something, and as those are Japanese things, the reparations should be paid under Japanese name! Understand?"

"Well... I got your logic Jiji, but why not the Speedwagon Foundation, so..."

"Just do it dammit! Don't let them ever knew that Joseph Joestar is the one who paid for their wrecked car! Think of your father's image! And tell them to keep secret about 'those Youkais' understood?"

...

Long story short, we used my mom's money (about a million and a half yen) to pay for Yoshikage-san's wrecked car (as Jiji gave us the money in dollars). Of course, my mom was initially also confused with the request to claim the money comes from Kujo Sadao instead of Joseph Joestar, but maybe Jiji was right about something we don't understand, so she ends up doing exactly as her father said her to do so.

"Isn't this too much, Mrs. Kujo?" said Yoshikage-san, raising his eyebrows while the onee-san at his side could only gulp looking at how the wad of 1500000 yen being handed that easily.

"You have been very helpful with our family, Yoshikage-san. We also hope you will keep secret about the Youkais in our house."

"You... Youkai?" said the onee-san.

"Well, where is Aqua-san?" said Yoshikage-san while looking back to the onee-san at his side. "Not all Youkai looks like a reptilian monster... Aqua-san, the servant of this house, is also a Youkai."

"Uh... Aqua is... Doing something with the Dinosaur-Youkai previously rampaging on the streets," I think of something that could distract Yoshikage-san from the fact that Aqua is actually being stored as stone-Aqua under series of ultraviolet lamps.

"Correction, that wasn't a dinosaur, that's a Reptilian-Youkai. Dinosaurs have feathers," said Yoshikage-san in irritation, and I could only roll my eyes on how he ended up with such specific term for referring to Darkness' transformation.

"She's a wingless dragon onii-sama, not just a reptilian!" chirped Megumin in.

"She?" said Yoshikage-san while raising his eyebrows.

"Uh..." I said while nudging Megumin to stay silent. "That was..."

"Ah, I see... That rampaging... Dragon-Youkai is Aqua-san, right?" said Yoshikage-san with raised eyebrows, and we could only look at each other. Luckily, I am able to nudge Megumin before she speaks anything about it. Let him think it's just a Youkai thing, and I'm sure Yoshikage-san will stay silent about that.

"Oh well, I... I can't tell you... Supernatural contracts and all... Well, you know..."

"Don't worry too much about it," said Yoshikage-san with a charming smile in his face as he put his hand on my shoulder while looking at the onee-san who sits at his side. "We'll keep about that secret, right? Higashikata-san?"

"Eh... Well, yes... Of course..."

"It must be hard dealing with supernatural kinds of stuff while your family is visiting you, Mrs. Kujo," said Yoshikage-san politely.

"Well, thank you for your concern, Yoshikage-san," said my mother politely.

"Just give my regards to your father and grandmother, Mrs. Kujo," said Yoshikage-san with a bow after we stood up. "This is more than enough for us to hail a taxi after I drive my car to the repair shop."

"Well, I'm sorry if we end up bothering you too much, Yoshikage-san."

"That's not a problem, Mrs. Kujo."

...

 **Tokyo, Japan, 20 April 1986**

Waking up in my own room after spending more than two weeks outside is definitely a welcome experience. Sure, feel kind of bad since Megumin and Darkness end up sleeping at the living room, but...

"No Avdol, I feel much better now... Yes, don't worry about it... No... I didn't know, but I am fine now... There's no need for that... No... Oh... Why?" said Jiji in front of the telephone when I walk toward the bathroom.

"..." I decided to just leave Jiji alone about the matter of stands and Speedwagon Foundation, well; maybe Jiji was just being under the weather and...

"What? Well, tell them to get off from my house... Tell them to stop their concerns about my dogs... Especially not about spaying and neutering... I could afford to raise and pay for my own pack of mutts dammit! Tell them to fuck off and bother other billionaires who adopted their dogs straight from the streets instead of using animal shelter services... No, I don't know anyone with that name... Could be a scammer... Yes, I understand... Well, and our prisoner? Hmm... Use your own judgment about that... Correct... And always keep an eye for anyone with two right hands..."

"What's the matter, Jiji?" I asked after Jiji closed the call. "The man with two right hands, you don't mean..."

"The partner of Hol Horse, we have shreds of evidence that he has been involved in a mysterious rape-murder case in France, two years ago."

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"Well, do you intend to catch him or..." dammit, I don't want to be dragged into any sort of stand-related shenanigans again this soon.

"Let's be fair, aside of a witness that saw the perpetrator having two right hands and Hol Horse's memories about him being a man with two right hands, we have no real links about the case... The loosely-related network of those stand-based criminals meant aside of some safe houses known in Hol Horse's memory, we did not know where the hell they are based, or even if they have any sort of base at all."

"So... That means we would not do anything about them as long as they are not doing something that forces the Speedwagon Foundation's attention, right?"

"Let's be fair here, we only have five known stand users, one is a comatose prisoner under our custody... And you know Lalatina's stand is not the most subtle, unlike yours..." said Jiji while scratching his head. "All while we must first deal with that Pillar Woman of yours, so... I think just keeping an eye on them would be the wisest course..."

"Ah, right Aqua... So, you know..."

"Well I do have other works to do, and it is in my best interest to solve the matter at Japan as soon as possible anyway... I'll discuss that with your great-grandmother..."

"Well, thank you then, Jiji..." I said, but then I did notice that it seems Jiji is in a hurry to leave Japan as soon as possible because previously, he always refuses to discuss things over Aqua before the containment bunker is complete.

...

What's happening out there?

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 - Convenient Stand?**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 20 April 1986**

Well, Jiji said that he'll talk to great-grandmother about the matter of Aqua, but he did say upfront that great-grandmother is very likely to disagree with anything until the containment chamber finished, but he did say that it never hurt to try.

Since this is Sunday, with no school and nothing else to do... Predictably we just end up sitting in front of the television. After the Sunday morning cartoons finished, the morning news started...

...

"And no attempts has been made to investigate the mysterious dinosaur sighting in Tokyo?" said the anchorman to the reporter, who stood at the public garden whose path led directly to our school, where Dino-Darkness end up running around and causing chaos last night.

"There were almost no causalities, the Police deem the event as just another case of mass hysteria, and there will be no further investigation. Noxious gas from sewers has been blamed as the cause, just like all other unexplainable events."

"Mass hysteria... Again?" said the anchorman.

"The sheer ridiculousness of the reports did point out that this was indeed yet another case of mass hysteria. Case in point, the reports are not just about a dinosaur supposedly running amok in Omori, but also a magical girl and a ninja."

We end up looking confused toward each other, did someone else trying to intercept Dino-Darkness as well?

"Ah, just like what happened at Shinjuku and Nerima then..."

"The magical girl was said to be a sixth-grader, flying at the side of a tall, green-wearing muscular man as they give chase to take the dinosaur down."

"Oh, crap... We have been spotted..." I said, thinking about how my face would be soon pasted all over the television. That Magical girl is obviously Megumin riding on Whitesnake, but didn't he refer to a ninja beforehand?

"I AM NOT A SIXTH GRADER!" Megumin fumed while pointing toward the reporter at the television before the screen changed into a rough sketch of...

"What the hell?" I muttered when 'our sketches' turned out to be very different from what we actually are. Megumin is definitely not wearing a frilly red dress and carrying a wand, like your cliche Magical Girl (just a black-and-red sailor fuku) and I was definitely not wearing a green cliche ninja suit with big fucking nodachi strapped on my back (just wearing my green gakuran), they got the student cap right though.

And looking at the obviously imaginary sketch of said cap-wearing ninja and magical girl battling what is a two-story tall Tyrannosaurus Rex only made us simultaneously groan. Darkness' Dino form, while significantly taller and larger than most men, is actually not that huge. Gee, I wonder who drawn those sketches, and why did the Tokyo Metropolitan Police employ them?

"That's not even a dinosaur, dinosaurs have feathers!" whined Megumin.

"SHUT UP! Just be thankful that camera-smartphone has not yet invented here!" I said in irritation as Megumin almost started her rant about 'dinosaurs have feathers'.

"Camera smartphone?" said Darkness, puzzled with my remark.

"Just forget about it..." I said before end up scratching my head, while deep down thinking about the possibilities to get even more riches in this world. Sure, I could borrow the initial investment from Jiji and focused on the smartphone, internet search engine, as well as a social media network. Would be nice if I end up owning Apple, Google, and Facebook here.

I do end up stopping my too early daydream when the reporter talks again, over causalities, and we definitely looked nervously at the television screen, did Darkness inadvertently trample over some innocent men, or...

"And aside of bruises caused by car crashes, the most serious casualty was an old man, who falls unconscious at his balcony due to a minor heart attack. He later recounted witnessing a loli floating upside down at his backyard, showing him her black panties and triggered his heart condition."

*SLAP!*

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" I said while nursing the slap mark given by Megumin.

"AN OLD MAN LOOKS AT MY PANTIES AND THAT WAS YOUR FAULT!"

"That was an accident dammit! It's not like you could climb and jump over walls without help from Whitesnake!"

"I wish I could have my own invisible ghost so I do not need to ride yours!"

"Meh, stands not always end up being invisible ghosts..." I said while remembering Iggy's stand that is now used by Jiji, and also Darkness' own stand, which turned herself into a dinosaur. "It's not like you will end up with one anyway, I could steal other stands and turned them into discs, but I won't steal Kakyoin's, and I doubt you'll want to become a dinosaur like Darkness."

"That's a dragon! Not a dinosaur!"

"SHUT UP!"

"I want a stand that could make me perform EXPLOSION all over again!"

"Well, I would bet that, if you got a stand, and it's a big if... All you get would be a harmless cat like Chomusuke," I said while giving Megumin a head pat, which only leaves her fuming.

"I swear you will bites the dust once I got my own stand!"

"And thank you for the report, Kobayashi-san," said the anchorwoman. "And now, criminal news, reporting live from Morioh-cho... Sazanka-san."

"Morioh-cho?" said Megumin, who stopped being angry and start looking at the television screen with concern.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Thank you. Just this morning, brutalized remains of a woman have been found at Budogaoka, Morioh. Police said that the forensic team still fully focused to properly identify the still unidentified victim of a rape-murder." said the reporter in front of what looks like an agricultural area, with police already forming a barricade over something located at a rather secluded part near the trees.

...

"We suspects that this poor girl is just another victim of the notorious criminal Anjuro Katagiri, who never being caught since his escape from the prison, four years ago." said a middle-aged police officer, that I guess must be of similar age with my parents. "The Mutsukabe mountain region is currently being swept by police teams to look for possible hiding places of said criminal."

"Can't believe that your town has a brutal serial murderer hiding there, Megumin..." I said while looking at the television screen with disbelief in my face. "I hope that your brother, Yoshikage-san, would be alright."

"Anjuro Katagiri is also the prime suspect for the murder of the Sugimoto family three years ago," said the middle-aged police. "The sheer brutality has always been the signature of his actions. I swear that this murderer will not escape justice!"

"Thank you officer Higashikata," said the Reporter before the screen turned into a mug of a tall, muscular man with ugly face and short, spiky black hair. The text on the screen warned the viewers to immediately contact the Police if they happened to spot this dangerous man.

"Higashikata... Higashikata... And Morioh-cho... Is he somehow related to your brother's girlfriend?" I said to Megumin, who only shrugged in return.

"Well, that onee-san turned out to be just onii-sama's acquaintance who accidentally met him when he does his grocery run yesterday. She tags along with onii-sama because Darkness throws her bike into his car," said Megumin while eyeing Darkness suspiciously.

"Eeeeh?! I... I'm so sorry!"

"No matter, onii-sama already gave her more than enough money so she could buy a new bike altogether. He understands that yesterday was hush money to keep their mouth shut about the presence of Youkais," said Megumin, and I do remember Jiji did end up shelling an unusually large amount of money just for a car that has the windshield and hood being broken but could still be driven into a repair shop.

"Well, a million and a half yen, but that might be just a chump change for your Papa, right?" I nudged Darkness, who could only look guilty at what she has done yesterday.

"Onii-sama gave her the half million part while he used the rest to repair the car, he did say it should be far more than enough though."

...

"Why are you three just spending your time sitting in front of the television like this?" said great-grandmother as she enters the living room while Jiji following her from behind.

"That's exactly why we could trust them to release the Pillar Woman earlier, they would just end up spending their time sitting in front of the TV like this. The containment chamber would be then just used as a backup..."

"NO! The risk is still too high and..."

"But I can't stay at Japan this long," said Jiji while great-grandmother only raised her eyebrows.

"You only recently back home at New York anyway, so what's the deal?"

"Uh... well?" said Jiji while exchanging a knowing glance with me.

"The answer is still no! No awakening the Pillar Woman before the containment chamber is ready."

...

Well, we basically spent all our time today just lazing off in front of the television, even if great-grandmother did bitch at us from time to time about our apparent laziness.

And due to Jiji already being better, once again, my futon was put on the living room while the girls sleeping in my room once again. Sure, tried to argue that the varnish smell shouldn't be that bad, but that gave me no results at all.

...

 **Tokyo, Japan, 23 April 1986**

At least, last night my room returned to be my own PRIVATE room. Megumin's room has been properly aired so the varnish smell no longer being all-overpowering, and Darkness end up sleeping in the nearby room.

Jiji slept in the other guest room, while great-grandmother stays at the furniture storage room to again, watch over the stone-Aqua.

And yes, this does leave me with a rather nice, private time I was deprived of for some time. Now if only my hentai collection is still there and not being burned off in time where internet is practically non-existent...

Well, at least my imagination is still very good... Oh yeah...

Wait, don't even think about Darkness in that situation all over again dammit, she's your aunt now... Think about Megumin or even Aqua... But...

Ah dammit, as far as I know, I am the only one with any sort of mind-reading power. Nobody would know... Nobody would know... Just think of her hot body and...

"WHAT THE FUCK?" I jolted straight up from the futon as suddenly, I imagined some blonde haired, extremely muscular guy looking directly at me from above. Said muscular guy has scar tissue encircling his neck as if the head was sewn onto his body...

To be fair, the blonde guy who suddenly appears in my imagination did quickly avert his gaze while saying 'Eeeew' before his image completely vanished from my mind. The damage has been done though, and now I just found that I can't continue my private activities.

"Dammit!" I cursed while throwing away the tissues while remembering that said buff guy also have the five-pointed star-shaped birthmark on the back of his left shoulder. "Is this the divine retribution for trying to use Darkness in my imagination?"

Of course, I knew that the weird five-pointed star-shaped birthmark is apparently the mark of my family, with Darkness also possessing it, so maybe this was really a divine punishment on my attempt to use her in this matter.

...

"I can't... Sleep... Well..." I said while stumbling upon the food at the table, still being half asleep because I was kept being awake since 03.00.

"I think you would be happier you got to sleep in your own room alone again last night," said Megumin sarcastically while Darkness just grinned a little.

"Papa, a call from uncle Smokey!" said my mother from the telephone while Jiji raised his eyebrows.

"Smokey? Is there something happened in New York?" said Jiji while putting his half-eaten toast to the plate.

"Smokey? You have other relatives?" said Megumin toward Darkness.

"Uncle Smokey Brown, ex-Mayor of Georgia, current Mayor of New York, he just elected into office last year," said Darkness. "Great-grandmother Erina adopted him back then in 1939, he's one of Papa's first friends in New York."

Ah well, I remember him now, the black guy who often included in some of our family photos. And also the first African-American mayor of New York, too.

"Yes... Well, I thought the reports from the Speedwagon Foundation should be enough?... Yes, I do have important business in Japan, unresolved business from 1939... Hah, don't worry about that, everything is under control here... Well, it's hard to say, but... Well, did expert testimony was required? Eh... Of course... The beast-car monster is under control now, so... Well, I never thought that would be required... Eh? The families of the murder victims demand the case be properly resolved?"

Murder?

I stopped chewing my toast at that moment, Jiji's conversation seems interesting enough, especially with 'beast-car monster' being mentioned.

"Oh well, those three unfortunate souls two years ago... It's kind of complicated... Sure, the brutality was exceptional, but as you can see, the perpetrator is not exactly human... I see... The biggest question is how to properly close the case without revealing the extremely classified nature of that... I see... Alright, I will try to look if I could help you there, but... Well, that's up to you... Haha, it's already morning here old pal... I'll call you later..."

"Smokey called?" said great-grandmother while raising her eyebrows.

"I am needed at New York, Speedwagon Foundation business, as being the expert witness..." said Jiji before he is back to the table and starts shoving the toast into his mouth.

"You? Personally?"

"Yes, Personally. I'll tell you the details later, but this is about the brutal murder of three ASPCA veterinary staffs two years ago, the one with their testicles ripped off and shoved into their mouths."

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Oh well, I do recognize those particular deaths... From a certain dog's memory disc that I have the (mis)fortune to watch.

"Should I go with you to America again?" I said while subconsciously put my hand on my crotch, those poor men did die in a very painful way to even watch.

"Why Jozuma said that?" said great-grandmother with raised eyebrows. "This is something involving stands, yes?"

"Well no and yes..." said Jiji while rolling his eyes. "Jozuma didn't need to go there, it would be a simple matter of filling reports and working with FBI liaison. Well, this is the unfortunate background story of my stand, The Fool... You do know that I got it from a dog in New York, yes?"

"Wait, murdered veterinary staffs, you got your stand from a dog... Those two are linked, right?" apparently great-grandmother also realizes the link between them.

"Should've been properly labeled as self-defense. Nobody sane would want to end up being forcibly castrated anyway, but from the human point of view, well... Those three are innocents. It's kind of grave miscommunication, the unfortunate background story of The Fool..."

...

"So that's it, I am needed to go to New York as being an expert witness," said Jiji after he explained why he is needed to go back to New York as quickly as possible, but I am not needed there, so...

"But Joseph, you can't just leave from here. Tell Avdol to..."

"Avdol is an expert in stand matters, but he is not an American citizen," said Jiji while eyeing me. "Just trust the kids will you, they won't just end up tackling you to the ground and wake their Pillar Woman friend."

"With the two being stand users and I'm not? I am outnumbered two against one, while I can't really see Jozuma's stand!" said great-grandmother while eyeing at us with suspicion.

"Well, how to say this... Unless we wake the Pillar Woman earlier from the schedule..."

"NO!"

"But you know mom, I am needed at America, while the containment room would only be finished in the next month," said Jiji as he shrugs his shoulder. "Well then, Lalatina... You're coming home with me then..."

"WHAT?" said Darkness.

"Well, at least this way your Granny wouldn't feel as if she would be outnumbered..."

"Give me a stand then..." said great-grandmother as she keeps eyeing me with suspicion. "So at least I could see whatever thing he has..."

"But Avdol said that he needs to see Lalatina's stand first, something about his study..." said Jiji.

"I meant the stand currently resides in YOUR head if you could control it, so should I..."

...

Long story short, after spending a short time yelling to each other about how Jiji want to keep The Fool while great-grandmother said she needed one... Jiji ends up saying that maybe he could try the assassin's gun stand back in New York, and let Whitesnake do his job.

And Jiji did unsummon his sand-formed left hand while putting on his old prosthetic hand, to be convenient, so...

"Just be careful, don't even try to peek into my memory, understand!" said Jiji in a half-joking tone and I could only roll my eyes with Whitesnake followed suit.

"As if I want to see your memories..."

"Worse! I have seen your grandmother naked! Hihihihi..." laughed Jiji and I could only mockingly cover my eyes. Of course, I could see that great-grandmother is not amused at all with his joke, so...

"Well, I'll try to take only the stand disc then..." I said while Whitesnake put his hand around Jiji's head, feeling the edge of the discs and... "THREE DISCS?"

"What?" said Jiji, who could only end up confused with my statement. "Hold on, three?"

"Yep... Well, I think I intuitively know where the stand disc is and where is the memory disc... You have TWO STANDS Jiji!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

Looking at the two discs in my hand, I could only laugh my ass off. Sure enough, the disc with [THE FOOL] written on it has the familiar beast-car monster upon it, but the other disc has [HERMIT PURPLE] written on top, and the picture is none other than...

THE PURPLE YOUNG-JIJI-IN-DRAG, posing playfully with said purple hentai tentacle vines all around his body.

"OH MY GOD! WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME?!" Jiji shouts while everyone else is laughing at the picture on his new stand disc. "PUT IT BACK! I WILL CHANGE HIS APPEARANCE!"

After finished laughing myself off, I do end up putting his new Hermit Purple stand disc back into Jiji's head.

"Well, maybe you should try to summon..."

Sure enough, as soon as Jiji willed himself to summon his new stand out, the one who appears is none other than the Young-Jiji-in-drag that I've seen earlier at New York, only now he could only be seen by me, Darkness, and maybe my mother, but she's still being busy in the kitchen.

"Well, apparently that's the reason why you can't summon The Fool using his original appearance..." I tried to theorize while said Young-Jiji-In-Drag put a rather flirty pose by raising his elbows high in the air, twirling the purple vines around, swaying his hip, and jiggling his obviously fake pair.

All while Jiji's face turned pale as he concentrates to unsummon said drag queen back.

"That must be your real stand being awakened!" I point that out to Jiji, who just frowned, before concentrating to re-summon his stand out.

"Well, I could manage it so only the purple vines appear..." said Jiji while showing the purple vines writhing on his hand.

"The hentai ~tentacles~!" said Darkness and we are back at laughing at full speed.

"Dammit! Jozuma, take this back! I want to use The Fool instead!"

"But I already put The Fool inside great-grandmother's head!" I said while Whitesnake just shrugs his shoulder in concert.

"Well, I could see the... HMPHHH!" even great-grandmother can't hide her laugh when the young-Jiji-in-drag appears again in front of us.

"Dammit! Why can't you went back to being just a bunch of purple vines!" said Jiji in frustration as the Young-Jiji-in-drag pouts before unfurl himself into a series of thorny purple vines that reattach quickly on Jiji's right hand.

"Anyway, the real question is what will happen to The Fool, if summoned by great-granny..." I said while great-grandmother just rolled her eyes and the nearby sand turned up into a long...

"Scarf? You could summon it as a scarf when you first tried the disc?" said Jiji in disbelief...

"Do you expect I will try to summon it as something else?" said great-grandmother while raising her eyebrows. "When you said it will take the form from your memory, all I need to do is emptying my mind and think of something that could be used as a weapon... Like this... That's why you should not forget the discipline aspect of your Hamon training, Joseph!"

Said scarf now morphed into an elegant spear, before dissolving slowly and returning to become a scarf once again.

"Ah forget it... If I tried that, it will end up as that thing again..." said Jiji as he shook his head. "What will Avdol say about my stand?"

"So Jozuma? This is Whitesnake, your stand, yes?" said great-grandmother while pointing toward Whitesnake.

"Yes, so?"

*GRRRK* *THWOMP*

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" I screamed while finding myself being thrown onto the ground because Whitesnake is also being thrown to the ground, courtesy of the stand-scarf that entangles his torso.

"Well, just need to make sure this work..."

"Meh... Whatever..." I said while dusting off the dust from my Gakuran, well, I still need to go to school today, so...

.

 **NOTE :**

Yes, Hermit Purple did evolve a humanoid form because if anything, Joseph already has experience handling humanoid stands.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 - The Hierophant and The Meddling Ghost**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 23 April 1986**

My butt still sore over how great-grandmother used Whitesnake for impromptu experiment subject, sure, it's kind of understandable she wanted to test The Fool's capability, but at least she could have the decency to warn me beforehand.

Sure, Jiji only grinned and mention about how the first time he met her (after she faked her death, long story), she slaps her only son in the face with an oar. Darkness only adds about the happy times of her harsh, painful, *PAINFUL* training, that you could guess, wasn't exactly a pleasant experience for most people.

Seriously, is Hamon training having the side effects of cultivating unnecessary violence?

Not exactly my problem though... At least I already get away from them... For now...

If everything stays just as planned, Jiji and Darkness will go back to New York soon and will return for Aqua's scheduled awakening somewhere in mid-to-late May.

...

Today's class started rather normally, and the lunch break bell rang when I was still half-asleep...

"Kujo-san, do you mind if I sit with you at lunch?" said the Pinkie, who already stand at my side with his bento box on top of a book.

"But, Kakyoin-san, you obviously know that I usually..." I said before realizing that Megumin is no longer at her desk.

"You two could have fun now, see you later..." said Megumin who already joining a group of girls, leaving me alone with this Pinkie.

My eyes twitched of this betrayal, but considering Kakyoin did put a friendly face...

"How about the rooftop then?"

...

"Want to try mine?" said the Pinkie while opening his bento box and taking out one big chunk of tonkatsu.

I opened my bento box, and get reminded that my mother cooks yakisoba today, not exactly a good bento-exchange material, well, but at least there's a cherry cupcake she made yesterday so...

"Sure? Do you like this," I took out the cherry cupcake, expecting a groan or outright asking for the Yakisoba instead.

"Ah, thank you Kujo-san!" said Kakyoin happily, apparently taking the exchange much better than I thought before. "Your mother made this?"

"Yeah..."

"It is delicious! How could she knew that cherry is my favorite?"

"That's just a coincidence..." I almost facepalmed at how Kakyoin used such hyperbolic language complete with such genuinely happy expression at seeing just a cherry cupcake. But then, I just noticed that he did wear cherry earrings on his ear. "Cherry earrings?"

"Ah yes, those are my favorites, I brought them just before high school, as the middle school regulations did not permit boys to wear earrings."

Oh well, the perks of this 1980's Japan, having a far more relaxed dress code and school regulations. But maybe I'll just stick to my plain green gakuran as I personally didn't want to be seen as a delinquent or something worse. Not that I want to make my mom worried over my appearances in the first place.

"Well, just suit yourself then... Boys wearing earrings is still against regulations in some other schools."

"Haha..." Kakyoin laughed dryly over that. "Don't be too concerned about that anyway, school regulations are just a rough guideline here."

...

"Why are you leaving that cherry?" I said after we spent some time eating our respective obento and look how Kakyoin put the cherry that was previously on top of the cupcake at the corner of his bento box...

"This is my favorite, I will savor it for the last..." said Kakyoin while looking at me in a rather serious face. "You still remember about the creepy molester ghost who victimizes Hinamori-sensei, right?"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Wha... What are you talking about? I... I never see him again! Do you see him or..." I was honestly taken aback with how Kakyoin suddenly brought the matter of Whitesnake here.

"No, but I would assume that you also never see him again, don't you?"

"Of course! Why are you so obsessed with that? That could be just a random naughty ghost!"

"Truth to be told, Kujo-san... This is not just a random ghost, but definitely a stand!" said Kakyoin, and I bite my lip knowing where it could potentially end. "I have contacted Mr. Avdol recently, informing him about what happened, and asking him about how to track that creepy molester. He only said that I should not think about that 'STAND' anymore! That proves that Mr. Avdol did know, or at least is suspicious, about said ghost being actually a stand. I tried to pry him if he got more information about it, but he refused to divulge things, for some reasons!"

Damn that Dakko-chan! If we end up meeting each other again, I will definitely pluck his bird-man stand bald for that! For Gods' sake, he could feign total ignorance instead of outright saying the stand that matches my stand's description is a stand.

"So... Maybe that was just a random naughty stand?" I grinned, trying to dislodge this pinkie from this particular line of thinking. Why the hell he has the mind to be in contact with Avdol, of all people?

"Because unlike a ghost, saying that the creepy molester is a stand means that there must be a stand master behind this, Mr. Avdol himself has told me about the basic concepts of the stand when I was still at the Hospital, so..."

Damn Avdol and Speedwagon Foundation for explaining that to Kakyoin, of all people! Don't they know that I would be the one who caught on this mess because you all trying to play heroes?

"Stand master? That ghost has a master?" I tried to feign my ignorance and almost saying something about Pokemon, but then I remember that Nintendo did not launch Pokemon yet, so...

"Yes, behind that creepy molester stand, there must be a sexual predator wanting to take advantage of unwary women! I swear we shall reveal the truth behind that creepy molester! I swear that we will bring him to justice for all his crimes against women!" said Kakyoin passionately as he formed a 'v' with his right index finger and thumb, and put it at the left side of his face.

Of course, that was quite problematic, considering that Whitesnake is no other than the very projection of my soul. I just don't want this particular blessing from the Gods to go unused anyway, I just want to grope women and steal underwear in peace while living a nice, quiet life dammit.

"So you want to catch that Molester, even if it might be downright impossible?" I said as I used my sleeve to wipe my sweaty brow.

"Even if it will be hard and painful for us! We shall stop this villain from getting his filthy claws on innocent women!" said Kakyoin while my eyes involuntarily twitched again. "It might be a long, thankless job, but truth and justice demand it!"

Dammit, this guy did remind me on Mitsubishi Kyouya... Err... Mitsurugi Kyurem... Mitsuroshi Gyoza... Whatever the wielder of the cursed sword was called then, and Kakyoin could be the worst between them. Acting like a shonen hero obsessed with truth and justice, at least for all his fault, Mitsugiru Kyoura could indeed claim that he got some girls on his side, while this Pinkie is literally the male version of Yunyun.

Wait, isn't that means I will end up as his Megumin, more or less?

"Kujo-san... What's wrong? Kujo-san?" said Kakyoin while waving his hand in front of my face.

"Eh... Well, what if he comes from the outside? I meant, you do listen to the news, right? Underwear thieves targeting high school girls are... Sadly common," I tried to bring up the 'impossible' angle to our discussion, trying to dissuade him from the path that might end with us turning into mortal enemies of each other. "He could be one of those, an outsider, and due to the previous confrontation with you... Will not return to this school ever again? At least..."

"An outsider... Hmmm..." said Kakyoin while rubbing his chin. "Truth to be told that would be downright impossible, Kujo-san. Said creepy molester must be at least someone who knew I am the stand master of Hierophant Green!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Wha... How did you..."

"That creepy molester runs toward our class and end our fight by knocking me instead of directly attacking Hierophant Green, whoever the stand master is, he must be a coward who is afraid of a fair fight! We will investigate, found him, and reveal the truth for anyone to see!"

"Uh..."

"What's wrong? Kujo-san?"

"Ummm, nothing... But why did you say it was our investigation and us? I don't remember joining you on that particular..."

Kakyoin just looks at me if that was a very obvious thing and sighed.

"Of course, this is OUR investigation, considering that you and I are the only people who could see any supernatural things. This is OUR DUTY!" said Kakyoin with the utmost solemnity that reminds me that his obsession with justice might already delve into delusional status. "It is our duty to protect innocent women from that creepy molester!"

"Uh... Thanks... But no, thanks. You could go alone if you wish, but I have better things to do than devoting my time catching a creepy molester..." I said while trying to look for an excuse to get away from this conversation. "We did not have any proof on him, aren't we?"

"Yes, we only have our eyes, who already seen the truth! Think about this! What if said creepy molester suddenly molests your girlfriend, or worse? Your mother?" said the Pinkie while pointing toward my face. "Think this as doing the work for their well-being!"

"Oi... Oi... Oi..."

"But what I said is the truth, predators like him are the scum of the scums, and exposing them from a menace they are is the right thing to do to serve truth and justice!"

"Let's... Let's talk about something lighter than... I understand your motivation behind that... But maybe you could take it slow, we have no other leads than what you and I see that day..."

"Well, maybe you're right, Kujo-san," said Kakyoin as he shook his head. "We did have no clue outside of that particular accident when said molester sent me to the hospital. But that means we should remain ever vigilant, if you ever spot that creepy molester again, you should tell me as soon as possible, and I will try to fight him to the best of my ability..."

It seems that after all the fiery rhetoric, this Pinkie did understand that he is only chasing wind at this point. I muttered a silent prayer in my heart that he would never discover Whitesnake's existence ever again.

"Well, I can't say you were wrong, Kakyoin-san..."

"Yeah... At least saying something about this did give me some sense of progress... You know... You are the first person who might understand me, Kujo-san..." said Kakyoin with a serene smile on his face. "I hope this could be the beginning of our beautiful friendship."

"Eeeeh? Well..."

"Anyway, maybe I'll talk with you later, and as I said before if you see something weird coming out or shadowing you all the time, you should tell me..." said Kakyoin as he put his hand on my shoulder. "And anyway... Thanks for the cherry cupcake, my friend..."

"Uh, thanks for the tonkatsu too..." I said while looking at how Kakyoin holds the whole cherry on his hand. "Why are you holding the cherry like that?"

"Want to see a neat trick?" said Kakyoin with a smirk.

"Sure? Don't tell me that it involves your stand or..."

Kakyoin just gently put the cherry in front of his tongue, release his fingers from the stem... And...

"RERO RERO RERO RERO RERO RERO RERO RERO RERO RERO RERO RERO RERO..."

Let's say that I was completely weirded out by how he licked that cherry, and the sounds quickly become too much ominous...

Note to self, should've never tried to be friend with this weirdo at the first place, he is like the worst aspects of Yunyun and Mitsubishi Kyurem combined, even worse! But I can't just simply unfriend him at this point, right?

...

"We got the tickets for Friday morning, should be more than enough time to prepare for the hearing in New York," said Jiji at the dinner table. "I trust you two to not trying anything funny with the Pillar Woman, understand?"

"Of course Jiji," I said while looking at Darkness, who seems to be rather inflated with the entire sudden 'going back to New York' thing. Wait a moment, shouldn't she still be a student there too? Unless she deliberately opts out to not attending university?

"And Lalatina should come back to her studies anyway..." said Jiji as if he knew what I am thinking about.

"Oh..." I said while leaning toward Darkness and said the first thing I have in my mind. "So D... Auntie Lalatina, what are you studying in New York anyway?"

"Uh... Archeology, why?"

"Hooo, I thought you will study something more befitting with your character, such as..."

I am just about to mention something ridiculous like a lingerie fashion designer, literature student studying Marquis de Sade, or learning erotic dances... But then Jiji's eyes suddenly trained on me as he is thinking what I am thinking, so...

"I thought you were studying something like Economics, or something else!" I said while Jiji's gaze returning to normal.

"Well, Papa did say economics is a seriously boring kind of study, that he only passed through his superior cheating experience..." said Darkness with an awkward laugh.

"HEY! THAT WAS JUST A JOKE LALATINA! I NEVER CHEATED IN MY STUDIES!"

The unbelieving stares coming from not only great-grandmother and Darkness but also my own mother shall be enough to convince me that my dear grandfather is so obviously lying in front of me right now...

"Just do your best and be honest in your study Jojo, please don't be like your grandfather in this particular case," said my mom, adding the nail to the coffin, or so to speak.

"DAMMIT HOLLY! NOT YOU TOO!"

...

A series of soft knocks on my door startled me, and as I opened the door, I found Darkness standing in front of my room. My rational mind told me to just close the door, but my other mind...

"Jojo, can we come in?" said Darkness as she pokes her head into my room when everyone else should already asleep.

"Sure? What's the matter?" I said while letting her entering my room, and Darkness quickly close the door, locking it from within. I know that maybe I should scream or do something to escape, but maybe... "You will just talk to me instead of trying to pin me on the ground with your superior dinosaur strength, while I tried to scream in futility..."

"Not that! I come here for... Something... Something else..." said Darkness while standing awkwardly in front of me. Looking at her clothes, being a pair of normal pajamas instead of the almost transparent negligee she usually wears at times when she tried to seduce me...

"Something else?" I raised my eyebrows on that. Well, maybe this is about Aqua or some top-secret Pillar Men matters that Jiji hides from me? "About Aqua?"

"Uh... No, but for God's sake, please do not try to awaken her before we come back from America. Granny said she would not hesitate to kill Aqua if she judges her being too dangerous to be left alive."

"Eh? Then what?" I said while noticing that Darkness did not usually come to my room without a good reason for her.

Dammit Jozuma, you sho not think about this... SHE. IS. YOUR. AUNT. NOW.

"Uh... How to say this Jojo... But... Do you feel someone is watching you?" said Darkness slowly. "Some blonde haired, shirtless muscular guy with Joestar birthmark on the back of his left shoulder? Like us?"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Darkness turns her back toward me and pulls down the fabric covering her shoulders, showing me the five-pointed star-shaped birthmark under the moonlight. If not because I quickly remember about who appeared in my mind last night, I would naturally think this might be some sort of weird, incestuous roleplay or something worse.

"Wait a minute! I remember him too, the one with scar encircling his neck, right? He just appeared... In my dream, last night..."

"That's the man who appeared in my mind when I was alone..."

"Do you think about me when you, uh, you know..."

"Aren't that implies you also think about me last night, right?"

If anyone could see our faces right now, they are red with the realizations of what we have mutually done to each other. Sure, those are only in our minds but...

"Uh... Since that guy did have a similar birthmark... Could he be our shared ancestor or something? And he has shown himself to say his disapproval to our... Unhealthy relationship?"

"Uh... Maybe you were right, that was the most logical explanation why we end up seeing the identical apparition of someone we never knew but seems familiar..."

"Well then, maybe it would be better for us to not thinking anything more about it, or our ancestor's ghost could haunt us forever..."

"So..." said Darkness, who could only stand in front of me in silence for several minutes.

"Isn't that how you were supposed to get out of my room, in silence, before anyone else..."

"You didn't even have the decency to give me a goodnight kiss when you gave one to Papa and Granny!"

"But you're a risk for..."

"I promise this just an innocent, goodnight kiss, nothing more!" said Darkness as she parted her hair to show her cheek.

"Really?" I said skeptically, but maybe an innocent goodnight kiss can't hurt. Darkness won't dare to go further than that right? "Oh well, cheek-only auntie, deal?"

"Yeah..." said Darkness while wiping out sweats that coming out from her forehead. "Just a kiss at the cheek, nothing more..."

Call this playing with fire, but when I puckered my lip and closing into Darkness' sweaty cheek...

"AAARGH! STOP YOU INCESTUOUS FREAKS!"

The blonde haired, muscular, shirtless apparition with scar tissue encircling his neck suddenly appears in the mirror, before realizing we are now looking at him as well, and suddenly vanished before we could get a good look at him, leaving us in complete silence.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Did... Did you hear that..."

"You better get away as quickly as possible from my room, this could be a complete disaster if he somehow contacted either your Papa or my mom!"

Darkness just moves out of my room as quickly as possible while I am honestly too scared to do anything. I know that maybe I should say a thank you to my ancestral spirit, whoever he is, but at the same time, he did exude a damned scary aura all over him.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

 **Tokyo, Japan, 24 April 1986**

"Hey, Jojo? What's wrong with you?" said Megumin as he notices me coming out of my room with an extremely forlorn look, courtesy of literally having no sleep for the rest of the night.

"Uh... Nothing... Nothing..." I could only say that while looking that Darkness is simply not present at the table. "Where is Darkness?"

"She said she wants to sleep until midday, headache, she said..." said Megumin while sipping her glass of milk, before looking back at me again. "Is this something about what Kakyoin said yesterday?"

Oh well, maybe here's my exit ticket from what is a potentially lethal situation, and this is also a truth already, so...

"Uh, yes... I'm afraid that he keeps his suspicion on me being the stand master of Whitesnake... What should I do? How to apologize to him without having him outing me as a pervert to everyone else?"


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28 - A Lost Boy**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 26 April 1986**

Yesterday, Jiji and Darkness boarded the plane to New York, and if things going on as planned, they will return to Japan somewhere in mid-to-late May.

Well, Jiji did promise us that he would actually try to explain things to Aqua more or less properly. Sure, our option was basically that... And the risk is obviously Aqua throwing a temper tantrum because Jiji killed the rest of her family, so there's the necessity of said containment chamber.

But well, since my mind is actually preoccupied with the sudden appearance of what could be ancestral spirit, who caught Darkness and myself in (admittedly not too) compromising position, I didn't really paid any further attention to Jiji's words, spending my time looking awkwardly to Darkness, wondering if the rather lighthearted atmosphere is actually just a facade and Jiji suddenly drop the bomb, or so to speak.

Sure, that was supposed to be merely a kiss on the cheek, but then, with Darkness baring her shoulders and we are both sweaty due to... Well... I can't blame that creepy blonde-haired ghost of our ancestor to freak out and through us as 'incestuous freaks'.

And yeah, damn all the supernatural kinds of stuff running around in this world, from those weird Kung-Fu magic called Hamon, Aqua being apparently a dangerous Youkai and sworn enemy of said Kung-Fu practitioners, the sudden appearance of ghost-thing that turned out to stand, and now... Freaking ancestral spirit who accuses me of being an incestuous freak? WHY CAN'T I HAVE A BREAK?

Why can't I get into a rather normal life of a harem protagonist like I always wanted, with Megumin could stay as she is, but Darkness being a totally non-related friend, and maybe have Aqua being some useless but still human maid than a man-eating Youkai...

What am I thinking about anyway? Ah dammit, after said ancestral spirit shown himself in front of myself and Darkness, I just can't... You know... Entering Sage Mode because it feels really awkward having your ancestor looking at you while you are doing that, also add another accusation that I have an improper relationship with my aunt, and instead of the normal wide-option harem, it sure feels like I was shoved into some sort of bizarre adventure.

...

Anyway, since today is Saturday, the school ends earlier than the rest of the weekdays, and we took a detour when we walk home to look around at the downtown, get some lunch (already told my mom that we will eat outside), play in the arcade, and generally spending our free time just like everyone else.

"And dammit! Why are you so good at this?" I'm genuinely baffled by the fact that Megumin defeated my score at the Balloon Fight arcade, even when I was the one who has literally years of experiences coming from the fact that I've played them too in Nintendo Emulator back in the 2010s of my previous life.

"Hah! That was surprisingly easy for a talented Crimson Demon like me!" said Megumin proudly while she keeps blasting the balloons' from the enemies' back with unexpected (for me) practiced ease. Sure, an arcade control is a kind of different from Keyboards I use in my previous earth, but...

"Yeah, yeah..." I said while pushing one of the downed enemies into the water. "Don't say this was the first time you played this..."

"Morioh-cho Arcade have them too, I've played all of them!" said Megumin while the victory screen once again shows that her score is almost twice compared to my own, and of course, it was a high score, earning her some oohs and aaahs from the passersby and those who watch us playing the game.

"Isn't that was supposed to be a small town?" I mumbled while lamenting why of all things...

"Well, of course silly, we only get those games in two or three months after they were released in Tokyo! Back then, onii-sama often give me money to go and play games at the arcade while he was busy cleaning the house! I have a lot of practice time in this!"

I sighed, well... Once again, Yoshikage-san proves that he is the ideal older brother that everyone would be extremely lucky to have him on the family. Not only he is self-sacrificing that he does all the housework and spares his little sister from those, but also how he gives her extra pocket money to play games at the arcade.

"Dammit... Next game then!" I said while stomping towards the newest addition to the arcade that is a light gun game, and looking at that, I never knew if said game named 'Gang-Star Shooters' existing in my previous earth back then, or is this brand new game. The premise seems eerily familiar though, being mafia hitmen shooting at targets from scene to scene.

Wait, a brand new game, just released earlier this month, and thus meant Megumin never played that too. And since I do naturally better with the aiming and such things, to add the natural urge to show off after such humiliation.

"Hmmm, gun game right?" I said while taking one of the guns from the arcade.

"Don't tell me you going to use your snipe all the way," said Megumin, taking the second player's position.

"Who knows?" I said while inserting some coins into the arcade, and the game started.

Well, let's say that, even without snipe, it seems that I was indeed much better at shooting reflexes than Megumin, looking that my scores actually soars over her. Of course, since my score turned into Megumin's double, and the gap between us just go.

"It seems that I am still the better gamer compared to you," I said with a smirk, even as Megumin tried to catch up to no avail.

"You still sore about how I beat your score earlier, aren't you?" said Megumin while pouting her face. "Show off!"

"Hey, if I want to show off, I'll finish the game from the start to the end with my face facing the opposite side!" I said while the game finally ended and I got the first rank on the high score screen. Well, it seems that my shooting ability did still carry over to some extent, or Megumin is worse when it comes to aiming things accurately.

"If you could do that at the first place!" said Megumin while she suddenly put coins for the single-player game into the arcade. "PROVE IT!"

Well, I rolled my eyes as I took the gun, but then Megumin forcibly turns my body around to face the opposite way of the screen.

"There, try shooting without looking you jerk, let's see if you still have your sniping skills without even looking at the target!"

This is indeed unexpected, but as I remember about Kakyoin telling me earlier that his family will spend their weekend outside of Tokyo, and so the risk of someone recognizing Whitesnake would be literally zero...

"Challenge accepted!" I said with confidence even as I face the opposite side of the arcade screen that is looking toward the glass doors, and my hand actually aiming backward.

Summoning Whitesnake at my side, I closed my eyes and let Whitesnake doing the whole aiming and shooting. Of course, I guess that to most onlookers, I would be only seen as some teenager showing off his ultimately useless skills at the arcade game. And this is indeed easier done than said, or so to speak...

As the game start screen announced the start with a rather loud beep, I started my stunt, using Whitesnake to play the light gun game in such 'impossible' style. So far, I actually think that Whitesnake's accuracy is even better than mine.

Of course, such stunt naturally draws a little crowd around us, and not long afterward, there's already 'oohs' and 'aaahs' coming from them as I continue to score accurate shots after accurate shots on the screen that my (human) eyes did not see.

The cheer culminated in loud applause when I end up 'not-so-accidentally' beating my own previous high score, and as the game ended, I could only grin upon the small crowd.

"Thank you... Thank you..." I said while twirling the gun on my hand before putting it back into the arcade holster.

"That was awesome onii-san!" said one of the elementary schoolchildren who is obviously awed at my performance.

"This is like what I've seen in the circus! Just better!" said another boy.

"Ne Jojo, you don't end up using your ghost to help you, right?" Megumin whispered on my ears, obviously remembering about my ability, even if she can't exactly see Whitesnake in action.

"Nah, don't be jealous, I'm just that talented with..." I said when suddenly...

"WAAAAAA! WAAAAAA! OKAACHAAAN! OJIICHAAAN! GHOST! GHOST!"

I look down and see at a small toddler with short, messy black hair, pointing directly at Whitesnake's 'not-so-family-friendly' visage, all while crying out loud like he's... Looking at a ghost?

"Megumin, don't say something that would frighten a toddler like him!" I said while taking a good look at the said toddler. From his size, I would guess that he is two years old, or three years old boy at most, from his watery eyes that looking at me nervously, I could see the fear in his blue eyes.

"GHOOOSSSTTT!" said the little boy as he tried to turn around and run as I walked closer to him, but he ends up stumbling on the floor and screamed like he sees something...

Oh wait, Whitesnake is still hovering at my side, and preliminary test with Whitesnake trying to reach him with his hand did result in said boy trying to avoid it as if he could see Whitesnake at the first place so...

"Hey boy... Tell your little brother to shut up!" said one of the security staff who previously looking at my performance.

"But he's not my brother! Where are his parents anyway?" I tried to look around, but nobody seems to rush in to calm the little boy. "Must be a lost boy..."

Megumin did, however, actually picking up the toddler from the ground, and seemingly looking closer into his face.

"But you two did look similar to each other..." said Megumin as she held the little boy closer to my face, only for the later to scream even louder as she inadvertently shoves the poor boy closer to Whitesnake's face, causing the toddler to bury his face into Megumin's neck.

Uh, if this boy could see Whitesnake too, maybe it would be better for me to unsummon Whitesnake first, so...

"Calm down boy, there's no ghost here... See...?" I said while nudging Megumin's side to at least cooperate unless we want to end up on the wrong end against grumbling parents because we made their son cry at the first place.

"GHO... GHOOOOOOST... Disappear?" said the little boy as he peeked to my side. "But there's a ghost near you earlier, onii-san!"

"Don't mind it boy, where are your parents?"

"O-KAA-CHAN! O-JII-CHAN!" said the boy to the crowd, and as there's nobody who responds to his call, tears start to pool at his eyes again, and before long, we end up with a bawling toddler, again.

"Dammit Megumin, this is your fault!"

"That's not my fault! You are the one who used your ghost to show off at the first place!"

...

"Please don't try to prank us kid, why don't you go home and grumble to your mom over shoving your little brother to you?" said another security staff of the building when I tried to drop the boy and told them that we found this lost boy.

"This is not a joke, son, claiming your own brother as a lost boy, only for your parents to panic afterward is not something you should do at the first place!" said yet another security staff as he calmly sips on a can of beer. "Whatever you tried to pull here will not work with us, have been a teenager myself, I agree that taking care of your little brother could be a chore, but this is not a justification to claim your little brother as a 'lost boy' and go home without him. Please think of your parents, son.

"BUT HE IS NOT MY LITTLE BROTHER DAMMIT! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT WE ARE NOT RELATED AT THE FIRST PLACE?!" I said while pointing toward my face, and then the little toddler's face, before the security staffs ends up looking toward us and laughed as if that was something funny.

"Sure, you two really look alike, maybe he's not your little brother but he could be your cousin or something. Your face did look alike him... A LOT!"

Is my face really look alike this scared little boy? I mindlessly think about that while said boy only unhelpfully being scared and thus, saying nothing in front of the security staffs.

"Megumin! Say something! You know that this boy is really a stranger eh?"

"Yes sir, this boy is definitely not Jozuma's relative; I am with him when we come here from school and..."

"Telling your girlfriend to help you 'lost' your little brother will not help us, kid. Your parents will be mad at you, I'm sure of it, but don't make them being mad at us for believing you at the first place," said the first security staff before he shrugs his shoulder and moving to whatever his job demands.

"Be a good boy kid," said another, older security staff present in front of us. "Just go home with your 'not-little-brother' and we won't take this matter to your parents. If what you said was true, your parents would be the one going to police station to file that they found a lost boy... That is if you didn't get belted by your father for trying to lose your little brother at the first place..."

Uh... Really? Why of all things I end up saddled with a toddler at the first place? This is so... Bizarre...

...

"But where is okaa-chan, where is ojii-chan!" said the boy after we walked out of the building where the arcade is located, as he is currently perched on Megumin's arms.

"AND WHY THE FUCK YOU NEVER SAID YOU ARE NOT MY LITTLE BROTHER YOU LITTLE..." I already scream halfway in front of this frightened toddler's face before realizing that his eyes are watering up again, and before another series of bawling end up with me getting the weird look from all the onlookers. "Well, maybe your mom and your grandpa will look at you and those damned stupid securities realized that they just made a grave mistake."

"But the ghost... *SNIFF* that ghost..."

"You could really see..."

"That ghost disappeared inside you onii-san!" said the boy as he points out toward my direction.

"Just don't talk about that, alright..."

"But... Ghost..."

"Anyway, you didn't even tell us your name boy... Maybe you are some of his long lost cousin or something?" said Megumin as she pats the toddler's head to calm him.

"My name?"

"Don't tell us that you forgot your own name... Or..." I am half-expecting that the boy actually has the surname 'Kujo' and thus end up really being one of my distant cousins, seeing that both my father and grandfather is really the only son of their respective parents, and while Kujo cousins are not unheard of...

"Josuke..."

"Jo... Suke?" said Megumin while thinking something... "Is that could be pronounced to Jojo as well?"

I raised my eyebrows at such coincidence, why did I feel something is off from this boy after hearing that, but...

"Wait, don't tell me that your family name is Kujo, and..."

"My family name is Higashikata, okaa-san already teach me how to write the Kanji!"

"Higashikata?" both myself and Megumin end up looking toward each other, knowing that the only Higashikata we knew is that onee-san who we met earlier and later going into my house after Dino-Darkness wrecked her bike, together with Yoshikage-san.

Oh well, but that onee-san's name is Tomoko Higashikata, maybe she's his aunt or something?

"Megumin, your brother knew the telephone or how to call the onee-san from before, yes? Maybe she could help us, so..."

"I don't know, but maybe..." said Megumin as we arrive in front of my house.

Well, maybe this will end in an innocent laugh as this toddler's resemblance to me is just a coincidence. He does look nothing like my father, and I am 100% certain that my father is not someone who could cheat upon my mother.

"But why did he could see stands at the first place?" I scratched my chin while said little boy seems to hear me.

"Stands? What was that?"

"You could see... My ghost... Aren't you?"

"Uh... G... Gho..."

"Ssssh... Don't cry... Whitesnake would never hurt you," I said while patting this boy's head while thinking of what I should say to my mom, going home with a stranger's child with us.

"W... White..." said the boy while suddenly, something pink-and-silver ghostly arm coming out from his, and...

"What? Is this boy... A stand user too?" I said before noticing that the boy's face is rather flushed red.

"Jojo, why did the boy suddenly become too warm?" said Megumin while we all noticing that, yes, this boy's temperature is definitely far higher than what is healthy, before wondering on why my mom is not yet come to the gate despite we are already standing there... Unless...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

"Jozuma! Your mother's stand manifested this morning! Where have you been?" scold my great-grandmother as I went into the living room with Megumin and said a toddler in tow, and the later definitely caught my great-grandmother's attention as well. "Who's that little boy?"

"Uh, well... The lost boy could see stands... It's complicated, where's my mom?"

"But Grandma, I'm fine..." said my mother with a smile as she opened the door of her room. "It's only a little fever, you should not be all worried and... Jojo, who's that?"

"Uh, a lost boy, he..."

"Ummm, you and Megumin-chan can't just go out and give me a grandson that fast, aren't you?" said my mother with a nervous laugh, and I could see green raspberry vine poking out from her back.

"No he's not, and that's your stand?"

"I can't even touch your mother's stand, so maybe it's the best thing for you to take it out before it becomes worse," said great-grandmother while noting something with the toddler. "He does look rather familiar though."

"You knew him?" I said, thinking that maybe this boy is indeed a far removed relative or something like that.

"Not really, but why did..." said great-grandmother as she walks closer to the boy on Megumin's arms, and gently took him on her own. "Huh?"

"Maybe we should call the police; those securities insisted that we go home with him, so..." I said while noticing that my great-grandmother seem to be startled upon something.

"Take your mother's stand disc first, I could handle this little boy..." said great-grandmother while walking toward my mother's room with a sad little boy on her arms. "Holly, Jozuma's old clothes is still at your room right?"

"Yes Granny, those are on the cardboard box at the corner of the closet," said my mom. "You want to change his diaper?"

"But I'm not wearing a diaper! Okaa-chan said that I am a big boy now, I will be three next month!" said the toddler, apparently offended with the notion that he still wearing a diaper at this age, and that only raised great-grandmother's eyebrows a bit higher.

"Three? Oh well, don't worry little boy..." said great-grandmother while looking at my mother. "Twelve... Eleven..."

"But I'm only three, not twelve..." said the little boy in protest while great-grandmother shook her head for some reason.

"Don't worry little one, just let granny change your clothes. You seem to have a fever and could be sick if we don't change your clothes, okay?"

The little boy only weakly nods at great-grandmother, and to think about it, maybe she is right, we didn't think that having a feverish boy wearing sweat-drenched clothes could only bode ill for his health, and maybe that was what called 'experience'.

"Maybe your great-grandmother missed the days when she took care of me and Lala..." said my mother with a laugh as the green vines coming out from her back being visible yet again.

"But your stand..." I tried to use Whitesnake to touch the stand, but to my surprise, it can't be touched at all.

"Granny and Mr. Avdol did say that you should take away the stand disc from my head or something. I didn't know why, but I trust their reasoning."

"Okay?"

...

"Raspberry Beret?" I raised my eyebrows as the stand disc with green raspberry vines visible, with [RASPBERRY BERET] written on top of it, sitting upon my hand as Whitesnake finished the extraction process.

Of course, I took extra tender care to not accidentally remove my mother's memory disc, and so far nothing seems wrong except that.

"I can't see your ghost, err... The stand that stood at my side earlier, is that normal?" said my mother in a nervous tone.

"Well, maybe that's normal, but maybe you should wait until Jiji and Mr. Avdol come and diagnose you further, seeing that everyone seems to be overly concerned about you getting a stand because Jiji used not only Avdol's but staying with that mutt's stand for some days."

"I'm fine with cannot see that, Jojo, maybe your grandfather was right," said my mom with a smile. "I do feel better now..."

Putting the back of my hand on my mother's forehead, I could indeed feel that her slight fever I previously felt before has been subsided now. Maybe that's the reason why Avdol and Jiji said that my mother has too weak mental strength to hold a stand or something else. Sure, if that was me, I would be offended with being implied to have less mental strength than a freaking dog, but... Whatever then...

...

"Great-grandmother?" I said while knocking on my mother's room, where great-grandmother is inside with the lost boy before. "I've taken out my mother's stand disc, where should I store that?"

"Wait a minute Jozuma," said great-grandmother before the door opened, revealing the lost boy in one of my old pair of pajamas. But why did great-grandmother's face scrunched and she is currently messaging her temple with her other hand like that?

"Why are you..."

"No, it's nothing Jozuma..." said great-grandmother with a smile that seems rather forced, before shaking her own head. "Just give it to me; I already carried the proper storage for the disc."

"Okay?" I said while the little boy is now placed on the floor and standing all by himself.

"I'll call the Speedwagon Foundation to help with the police matters, could you two looking for the boy for a while?" said great-grandmother, and again, her smile does seem rather even more forced this time.

"Am I doing something wrong that...?"

"No... It's nothing..." said great-grandmother as she just shook her head. "Well, I missed the time when I took care of a baby, last time I was helping your grandma with Lala... So..."

Oh, so she does having a sudden case of nostalgia. That must explain her peculiar expression though, so...

"Okay..." I said while looking at the little boy. "That boy could see stands though, so..."

"Well, that's why I will call the Speedwagon Foundation for that, just... Don't worry too much about it. And don't do anything to his stand before I check again. He might have a slight fever, but knowing how your mother copes with that, some hours would be fine."

I look toward Megumin, and she also shrugs her shoulders, maybe all the old ladies are being that way toward a baby, always want to coo them as it reminds her for their own child back then...

Can't blame great-grandmother though, she's almost a hundred years old, and knowing the story about how she was forced to abandon Jiji as a baby, this must be a particularly painful nostalgia to her.

"You like watching cartoons, aren't you?" I said to the little boy, who in return, only smile and nod in affirmative.

Well, maybe all we need is just wait for his parents to come, and it would be just having unexpected guests. Sure, maybe great-grandmother is also concerned about meeting with his parents and told them that their little boy is now having a stand, but... Well, she is experienced enough to handle supernatural matters right?

...

Thinking about that does make me realized something else about great-grandmother's nostalgia, apparently, it was worse enough that she just suddenly left the room where stone-Aqua is currently stored without even locking that. Isn't she usually guard the room and never permit us to come inside? Why did she abandon that so suddenly?

"Eh, Aqua's room is not locked?" said Megumin as I whispered about that to her.

"Sure, but... Do you think this little boy will stay here as he watches cartoon on television?" I look toward the little boy that currently sits in front of us, watching Tom and Jerry.

"Hmmm..." I weighed my options on what I could do now. Sure, freeing Aqua and presenting that as fait accompli would be rather easy, but then, what if great-grandmother deliberately left the room because she feels she could trust us on that matter too?

Should we just wake Aqua up while great-grandmother is apparently distracted? Or...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29 - Enter Higashikata Family**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 26 April 1986**

"So, how..." Megumin whispered as we started to formulate our plan.

"We get there, turn off those UV lamps, or at the very worst, cut off the cables," I said as I reached for big, sharp scissors with a nice thick plastic handle that usually used by my mother to trim the garden inside the nearby drawer. "Would create a painful mess, but this is the easiest way to draw some blood."

I point that scissors' sharp tip across my palm before tossing that scissors to Megumin, who quickly hide it inside her skirt pocket. We both understand that Aqua will require blood to be restored, and it would mean cutting our palms or get something as a source of blood so it would be painful. Good thing that she could heal people afterward, but cutting yourself up is never a pleasant option at the first place.

"Got it," said Megumin while looking toward the garden, where great-grandmother was last seen as she carried the telephone there. "That old witch seems to be talking to someone over the phone."

"What are we waiting for then, we shouldn't just look at the gift horse in the mouth, we have no time to waste!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

"Onii-san, onee-san, where are you going?" said the little boy as he noticed us standing up as we have settled that this is one hell of a chance to free Aqua, even with the risks involved, might still be worth it to try.

"Sssh, be a good boy and just watch the TV, okay?" I put my (hopefully) most convincing smile as I pat his head, trying to make sure this little toddler did not do something that will cause great-grandmother to return far too early than she should be.

"But that nice granny said that I should not go far away from you two until she returns," said the toddler, Josuke-chan, as he stands up and grabs the bottom of my gakuran overcoat.

"But Josuke-chan, you still have a slight fever, and we..." I tried to muster a reason to made this little boy not interfering with our plan, but I just can't say a good enough reason, so I look at Megumin to take over with her chuuni skills, that should be enough to halt a toddler for a while, at least. "Oi Megumin, say something..."

"We're off to do some grown-up stuff, Josuke-chan, and good little children should not watch at the first place!" said Megumin in her sweetest tone as she tried to help me pull this toddler out of my Gakuran, that only result in him tugging on Megumin's skirt instead.

"But I want to be with you two! What if that ghost comes again!"

I rolled my eyes as I thought to just take out whatever stand disc is inside this little boy and get done with it, but since said stand hasn't properly manifested, I do have some concerns if that will cause some sort of damage or anything, so...

"Just don't worry about that ghost, Josuke-chan..." I said while noticing that a pink-and-silver ghostly arm seem to appear at his side, and before I could say anything, the little guy actually seen his own stand first and scream in panic.

"GHOOOOOOSSSTTT!" said Josuke-chan as he hugs Megumin's leg even tighter. Of course, to those who knew what stands actually are, this is akin to being frightened with one's own shadow, but to try telling that to a not-yet-three years old child.

"Sssshhh! Don't be that loud dammit!" I said as I close his mouth before Josuke-chan's scream could cause either my mom or worse, great-grandmother to come running here. "There, don't be afraid, that is actually yours, to begin with! Look, this arm obviously coming from the inside of you, see?"

"Emmmf?" mumbled the toddler as he takes a peek toward that pink-and-silver arm while it seems to move on its own in return, but even as he managed to look at it without screaming, I do feel his fever just going somewhat warmer, so...

"Just don't think too much about it, you should rest, and let us doing our own grown-up stuff, okay?" I said while lifting the little boy and carry him to sit in front of the television.

"You are too young to understand this, Josuke-chan!" said Megumin while patting the little boy on top of his head. "You will understand when you were older."

"But I will be three this year! I am a big... boy..." said the toddler while he tugs on Megumin's hand, but we then noticed that his face become even more flushed red as I could see another pink-and-silver arm appears on the other side of his body.

"Uh... Why did this happen?" I put Josuke-chan on top of the tatami and put a cushion behind his head. "You could *control* those arms, right?"

"G... Ghost... Ghost..." said the toddler, obviously frightened with his own stand even as said arms following by flailing around and one accidentally knocked the plastic cup filled with water from the table.

"Well, maybe I should do this from the get-go, it seems that your stand has already manifested so..." I said as I summoned Whitesnake to my side. I immediately regret my choice though as this toddler turned even more frightened about the sudden appearance of my stand.

"WAAAAAA! WAAAAAA! WAAAAAA! WAAAAAA! WAAAAAA!" if his earlier uncooperativeness already inconvenience us, this time the screaming cry of the toddler should equal to a loud alarm, and obviously, a crying toddler like this only attract...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Jojo? What happened?" said my mom as she entered the room with a ladle at her hand. "Is something wrong?"

Mother immediately go to Josuke-chan's side and took him on her arms, trying to comfort the crying toddler even as I realized that our only chance to free Aqua from her stone form is practically vaporized now.

"Uh... Mom... Josuke-chan's fever suddenly going worse, and I tried to take out his stand, but..."

"GHOOOSSSTTT! WAAAAAA! WAAAAAA!" the toddler just keep crying on my mother's arms, all while unhelpfully pointing toward the general direction of Whitesnake.

"Are you sure you are not being the one who frightens him at the first place?" said my mother; sure, she can't see Whitesnake right now, but it seems she did have the general idea of what happened.

"You remember that I pulled out your stand when it manifested right? I just want to do the same to this boy since..."

"You haven't pry out his stand disc right?" said great-grandmother with concern as she comes running with telephone still on her hand. Dammit, baby cries that become a practically homing beacon for all mothers to come to coddle him.

Not wanting to cause a further ruckus, I unsummoned Whitesnake from my side and give great-grandmother my best 'innocent' look. It seems unneeded though as great-grandmother seems to be more interested in said toddler herself than her usual hands-on-violent approach when it comes to her great-grandson.

"Don't worry too much about him, Holly..." said great-grandmother as she took the toddler from my mothers' arms while noticing the pink-and-silver arms coming out from Josuke-chan's body, before speaking back on the phone with her free hand. "Yes Avdol, it seems that my grandson is... Uh... My great-grandson hasn't taken away the toddler's stand disc..."

Dammit, it seems that having a toddler in the house made great-grandmother think him as her grandson while conveniently forgetting that I am her great-grandson. I feel so jealous right now...

"Uh... Don't say that... They haven't known about that yet... Yes... Don't... But... You want to speak with Jozuma?" said great-grandmother before she hands me the telephone, and predictably, I could hear Avdol's voice talking on the other side.

"Jozuma, how the stand of your... The... The toddler you brought to your house?" said Avdol, apparently also panicked from being consulted in such sudden matter.

"I've seen a pair of pink-and-silver arms coming from him, and I thought there is some apparition of a tall silvery cylinder near his head."

"Humanoid stand... His fever is going worse, isn't it?"

"Yes, should I took his stand out like..."

"Being a little child did not favor his mental strength, but... I need you to stay with you... Uh... I need you to stay with the toddler... To take his stand disc out just in case he won't survive the incoming bouts of fever. But don't take his stand out before it either fully manifested OR he would be dead otherwise. We are not sure about taking a non-fully formed stand from the user yet, so we need you to observe first and..."

"But why did all of you insist me to just take out my mom's stand disc if all she needs to endure is just some days of fever?"

"Your mother... Is a special case... It was indeed mostly about your mother's lack of mental strength, but then her kindness combined with her lack of fighting spirit is very likely to cause her to stand to be something that saps away her own strength and cause her to wither away. I'll explain more about that in the future, but right now our focus should be on saving the toddler."

"Sure... But..."

"Listen Jozuma, being a little child fortunately also meant he could more easily adapt to his stand, and considering his... Uh... How to say it... Hmmm... Just ask Lady Elizabeth about it... Just... Make sure the boy is fine, right? Your great-grandmother knew what to do already, just follow her words."

"Eh... Sure..." I said while mentally noted that Avdol seems to be very uncomfortable about something, but maybe this is just about him have seen people die from their stands, and I know that he must try his best to give the advice to save the poor little toddler. "But why can't I just take his stand away like my mother?"

"Stands are the projection of the user's spirit, and taking out immature projection might end up with unforeseen complications. The best we could do right now, is, unfortunately, observe his development, and only take away his stand if that was going into a really life-threatening situation because there is a chance that his stand might develop normally and not really threatening his life at the first time."

"But I don't understand why did..."

"Listen, your mother is a different case, even if the source of their stands is you... Wait... It is complicated, but trust us, just listen to your great-grandmother, she'll know when the toddler's stand is really life-threatening or not."

"Alright... But..." I said while I swear I heard Avdol sighed and speak outside the phone about something that sounds like 'dammit Mr. Joestar', so when he seems to be on the line again. "Oi Avdol, did my grandfather is there, I hear you said..."

"No... Mr. Joestar is not here... Mr. Joestar is not here..." said Avdol, but great-grandmother just quickly took the phone from my hand for some reasons.

"Avdol, there is no need to call upon Joseph right now, I'm sure he has his hands full with the ASPCA vet staffs murder case, as we are obliged to actually keep the existence of that dog stand user being secret from the greater public... Well... Don't worry about that... Don't say anything to anyone... I'll arrange for you to come to Japan in two or three days... I'll call you later..."

Great-grandmother turned off the call with a sigh. At her face, an awkward, pained expression as she slowly shook her head, before putting her hand on Josuke-chan's forehead to take the rough account of his temperature.

"What's wrong great-granny?"

"My... This little boy must stay here for days or even weeks to come. We'll try to look for his mother's family and inform them about his condition..." said great-grandmother before she ends up looking at my mom. "Holly, you have a thermometer here, right?"

"That was in my room, but..."

"Then we have no time to spare..." said great-grandmother as she softly put Josuke-chan on top of the arranged cushions, before quickly walk to my parents' room, with my mother following her behind. "And don't frighten him with your stand, I'm sure the toddler will be alright!"

And out of all this, great-grandmother did seem to honestly forget about her duty of guarding stone-Aqua, as she didn't even remember to lock that room. But as we think to dash and free Aqua from there, there is a sick little boy left here, and in worst case scenario when something bad happened to him...

"Well, we can't just leave Josuke-chan right now..." I said with a sigh to Megumin.

"Maybe we'll get another chance tomorrow," said Megumin as she shook her head and return the scissors back to its former place.

...

Looking at the feverish toddler sleeping is definitely not our first choice to spend the Saturday night, but it's not like we have other choices here.

"EEEEEEH?" said my mother rather loudly from the room before everything went silent again.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"What happened?" said Megumin, looking at the source of my mother's sudden exclamation, after some minutes being practically spent in silence.

"I'll check that..." I said while standing up and walking toward my mother's room.

...

"Great-granny? Mom? Is there something wrong?" I said as I knocked on the door, and after some time, great-grandmother opened the door while my mom seems to sorting out my old clothes from the cardboard box.

"Well Jojo..." said my mother as great-grandmother just looking at her. "Josuke-chan will stay here for an indeterminate period of time, and he needs someone to watch over him while your great-grandmother needs to watch over your pillar woman friend, so..."

Dammit, it seems that the old witch did not forget about Aqua at all, so...

"I asked your mother, if we haven't found Josuke's mother, she would take care of the poor toddler instead. I know that this might be too much but..." great-grandmother is looking at my mom, and she just awkwardly raise her shoulder in return.

"Well, I... I have no objection about that, Josuke-chan could sleep in my room at night."

"You know, we could simply wake Aqua up and ask her to take care of the toddler, right?" I said before great-grandmother's first land on my head with a loud *THWACK*. "OUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!

"I won't let the Pillar Woman touch my... That... That... That innocent boy! She might end up thinking he is her food or worse!"

"I'm just joking dammit!" I said as I nurse the bump on my head, but great-grandmother just glared at me further.

"Uh, Jojo... I don't mind if I should take care of another toddler," said my mother in her sweetest, most innocent tone. "The Speedwagon Foundation is still looking for his mother, but you know, being a sickly three years old, we can't exactly entrust him with your or Megumin-chan, so..."

"Unless your girlfriend or maybe you yourself volunteer to help us taking care of that little boy in the first place. Being responsible if he ends up wetting his bed, bathing him, ensuring he won't cry all night..." added great-grandmother as I immediately raised my eyebrows at the bedwetting comment.

"Uh... No thanks... Geez... What's with you old ladies and your fascination with little children..."

...

 **Tokyo, Japan, 27 April 1986**

"We are very sorry for your inconvenience Mrs. Kujo, we promise that this kind of gravest mistake shall never happen again!" said a man in formal business suit prostrating himself from the seiza position, and at his back, the two security staffs, those who previously insisted that Josuke-chan was my little brother, end up following suit with the apology.

"Well, it was nothing manager-san, Josuke-chan is a good boy and he did not inconvenience us in any way," said my mother while looking toward the other surprise guests who currently being seated at the other side of the table with us. "It was a welcome surprise, actually, I like little children, but you see, Jozuma has already entered high school so..."

My mother pats my head as I could only sit at her side, while great-grandmother is currently at her room working with some documents over something that I didn't really know.

"Well, that's a relief to see that my grandson stays with good people," said a middle-aged man, that from my assessment, couldn't be much older than my own mother, and might actually be her junior. "You have my greatest gratitude for what you've done to help Josuke, ma'am."

That middle-aged man already introduces himself as Higashikata Ryohei, Josuke-chan's grandfather, and as soon as I remember it, realizes that he is indeed the middle-aged police officer we have seen on TV several days ago. Of course, he was obviously very pissed off over how those so-called securities end up refusing to take a real lost boy over 'superficial facial similarities' and thus end up causing him to go around Tokyo all night long, looking at the social services and other similar places for his missing grandson.

"It is nothing Higashikata-san, I for one, actually very amused over how Jozuma suddenly come home and bringing my little brother... Err... What was thought by others as my son's little brother..."

"Your mother's little brother?" Megumin whispered at my ear, apparently noticing my mother's sudden slip in her usually spotless Japanese, but considering the tense situation.

"Can't blame her, do you think it would be better if she thought Josuke-chan was her grandson instead?" I replied while mentally noting that particular slip is indeed unusual, but if anyone else noticing that, it seem that they only thought a gaijin housewife having some word slips in her non-native language.

"Still, thank you very much for your hospitality to my grandson, Mrs. Kujo," said the middle-aged man with a chuckle, as he too apparently noticing the slip in my mother's words. "We hope that we could repay your kindness one day."

"It is our pleasure Higashikata-san," said my mother as she smiles toward the toddler, Josuke-chan, who currently sit happily on the lap of someone surprisingly familiar with us. "Jozuma is our only son, and I do find this mistake is rather amusing, but... I'm glad that we could be in touch with each other, as a mother, I know how it feels to lose my own son."

And sure, the one who held Josuke tight on her lap is none other than the onee-san from before, the one who falls from her bike, meet us at the ice-cream parlor, and have been here once with Yoshikage-san because Dino-Darkness wrecked her bike.

"T... Thank you Mrs. Kujo..." said the onee-san while wiping some of her tears. "I... I think I lost Josuke yesterday... It was a pleasant surprise to found him here for me, too..."

"So, Josuke-chan is your son? Gee... I never thought you've already being married, Tomoko-san. There's no wonder why my onii-sama said that you are just his acquaintance!" said Megumin to the onee-san, and I could see that her face turned into a deep frown for a moment, but then she just shook her head and get her smile back.

"You know each other?" said the middle-aged man to his daughter.

"She's the little sister of Yoshikage-san, the charming, polite man I told you earlier," said Tomoko-san with a blush on her face.

"Oh... Yoshikage... Kira Yoshikage? Kira? Kira... Hmmm..." said the middle-aged man with an awkward grin before he seems to remember something. "Wait a minute, little miss, you used to be the explosion maniac of Morioh, aren't you? Throwing firecrackers at things while loudly screaming 'Explosion!' at the passerby?"

"Eeeh, how..." now it's Megumin's turn to have her face turned red, but why did I am not surprised by the revelation of her past time at Morioh?

"You not remember me aren't you? I am a police officer who caught you in the act and brought you to the police station until your father come and plead for your release!" said the middle-aged man with a laugh. "You're not playing with firecrackers anymore, right?"

"Uh..."

"Why did I am not surprised with that, false explosion my ass..." I whispered to Megumin as she could only hide her face under the table when everyone else laughs at the revelation.

"Shut up!" said Megumin weakly as even the store manager and security staffs joined in the laugh.

"Anyway Mrs. Kujo, it was a surprise pleasure to see that we end up meet here, but now, with my wife still waiting for good news at home, maybe..."

"Do you still have some time to spare, Higashikata-san? I already ordered for a lunch to all of us," said my mother politely, and the Higashikata family end up looking at each other in surprise.

"But you shouldn't have."

"I... Uh... Josuke-chan's presence does remind me of... My own son when he's a little, so, in a way, why not for us to have lunch together today?" said my mother while occasionally looking toward the direction of the room where great-grandmother is currently residing. "Manager-san and the securities could return to their job, but some little talk between us won't hurt..."

Looking that this must be where great-grandmother took over and inform the Higashikata family that their grandson/son is a stand user...

"The telephone is over here, Higashikata-san," I said politely as I stand and show the middle-aged man the location of the telephone. "You could inform your wife about the whereabouts of your grandson, and we could have a friendly lunch afterward.

"Oh, sure... Thank you..."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

After the manager of the Arcade and the security, staffs has been sent away, I end up knocking the furniture storage room where great-grandmother (and stone-Aqua) currently resides, thinking that if this was the time when Speedwagon Foundation business should start, maybe...

"Dammit Joseph, that girl could be his granddaughter! Her father is even younger than Holly! How I should inform this to Suzie and Lala at the first place..." muttered great-grandmother as I found that the door is surprisingly not locked. "WHAT! Jozuma, why are you here!?"

Looking that great-grandmother is currently looking toward some papers in the folder, and stone-Aqua still stand in the center of the room being held by series of high-intensity UV lamps.

"The manager of the store and the securities have gone back to their work or whatever, and the Higashikata family agreed to stay for lunch. Isn't this the time when you should show your face and..." I said while noticing the overall security measures erected around stone-Aqua's inert form. "You should come out and..."

*THWACK!*

"Tell your mother I'll be there in five minutes, and do not look at your Pillar Woman friend that way! If you tried to wake her, you will regret it, I promise..." said great-grandmother as she slammed the shoji door in front of my face.

So she didn't just forget about Aqua at all, eh... Well...

...


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30 - Jiji Did What?**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 27 April 1986**

"Once again, thank you for this Mrs. Kujo, how could we repay your kindness?" said the middle-aged man as the Higashikata family awkwardly sit around the table with us.

"Well, thank you, Higashikata-san, but... Have you heard anything about The Speedwagon Foundation?" said my mother nervously while looking toward great-grandmother's room as if she can't really wait for her to come here.

"Speedwagon Foundation? That archeology organization who rumored to dabble in supernatural things?" said the middle-aged man while scratching his chin.

"Actually, the later is not just a rumor," said great-grandmother as she walks through the corridor and shook hands with the elder Higashikata. "Higashikata Ryohei, am I right?"

"That's right ma'am, and..."

"It seems that I forgot to introduce myself here. Greetings, I am Lisa Lisa, Head of the Supernatural Research at the Speedwagon Foundation. I am Holly's grandmother," said great-grandmother in a formal tone.

Well, that's weird, never knew that great-grandmother would still refer to herself as that name until now instead of using 'Elizabeth Joestar', but considering how I actually never knew about her business within Speedwagon Foundation.

"Ah, nice to meet you, Mrs... Lisa Lisa," said Higashikata-san with an awkward and curious expression on his face. "So... What happened? Did Josuke was abducted by the Youkai or..."

"So, Tomoko-san did tell you about what happened here last week?" said great-grandmother with a wry smile as she put a paper folder on top of the table.

"I... I'm sorry Ma'am, I knew that Yoshikage-san did agree to keep secret about the existence of Youkai in your house, but..." said Tomoko-san with a guilty look on her face.

"Don't worry about that miss, if you only told your parents, I could understand about that..." said great-grandmother as she shook her head. "But still, yes, that was somewhat related to your son's... Unique talent... Why don't you told your family about what you could see, Josuke?"

"I could see ghosts..." said Josuke-chan timidly to his mother, that caused the adult Higashikatas to look at each other.

"G... Ghost?" said Tomoko-san while looking at my great-grandmother. "But... Did you said that this was related to the Dinosaur-youkai me and Yoshikage-san saw last week?"

"Well, I'll get straight to the point then, the ability you son have is something called as the 'Stand' phenomenon. Long story short, some stands could be either seen or perceived by most people, but most of them aren't. Your son, Josuke, could see them since he himself has one."

"So..." said the middle-aged man as he looks toward his grandson. "What was that, exactly?"

"It is complicated, but I could prove the phenomenon to you, indirectly at least," said great-grandmother while summoning a pile of sand to form a small mound at the table.

The Higashikatas, Josuke included, end up looking toward the small mound of sand as it moves around before said pile-of-sand turned into a hammer.

"Is... Is that magic?" said Tomoko-san as she looks amazed with what could be mistaken as a 'simple' magic trick. But great-grandmother only smiles as the hammer straightened itself upward before collapsing into a pile of sand, who end up dispersing nearly into the ground.

"Mine is kind of limited to sand manipulation, but my great-grandson here could... Demonstrate further things that couldn't be seen by most people, but Josuke could actually perceive it."

"Why me?" I was surprised by the sudden request while pointing towards Josuke-chan. "You know that Josuke-chan is afraid of..."

"I already talked to him to not be afraid with your stand, Jozuma," said great-grandmother while patting the toddler's head. "As long as you don't use it to do something mischievous, he won't cry."

"But what about..."

"Just do what I said, summon your stand and use him to fetch us some cold drinks from the refrigerator."

Alright, it seems that great-grandmother just wanted me to take the refreshments out using Whitesnake, so I rolled my eyes but still following through her order.

I could see that Josuke-chan is still kind of afraid with Whitesnake's appearance, but I do give him credit for staying silent instead of bawling his eyes out. The adult Higashikatas' however, doesn't seem to notice anything was wrong until Whitesnake take the tray out of the table, moving to the refrigerator, and took some canned drinks out of the refrigerator toward the dining table.

"What was that?" whispered Tomoko-san as she is dumbstruck with how Whitesnake just politely put a can of orange juice in front of her while giving the elder Higashikata a can of cold beer.

"That's a very creepy ghost, okaachan. White and purple-stripped ghost with weird eyes and sharp teeth," said Josuke-chan that only caused the adult Higashikatas to look at me in alarm.

"Now, I know that my great-grandson's stand might not have the most family-friendly appearance, but the fact is, little Josuke could see Jozuma's stand because he also has one," said great-grandmother as she signed me to unsummon my stand. "To everyone else who can't see them, I presume, you would see as if the tray and the beverage cans just move on their own, am I correct?"

"Yes, but..."

"Josuke has similar 'ghost' or so to say, and he was actually more comparable to my great-grandson. But unlike my great-grandson or mine, if that mattered, Josuke's stand is still not properly manifested, and said the process could be a hard and dangerous one if not monitored properly," said great-grandmother softly while looking directly toward Tomoko-san's face. "He already has some sort of unusually high fever beforehand, isn't he?"

"Y... Yes..." said the onee-san, stuttered with the revelation.

"I... I thought Josuke-chan must have seen too much tv when he said he saw a ghostly pink hand come from behind him," added the middle-aged man. "But... This..."

"That pink hand is your grandson's stand, Higashikata-san," said great-grandmother as she shook her head. "Anyway, did your wife, or any other family members of yours could also see the pink hands mentioned by Josuke?"

"As far as I know... No. My wife is equally baffled with Josuke's claim and thought that was just his imagination, and as far as I knew my daughter, she never thought about that seriously..."

"Your grandson is still manifesting his stand, and considering his age, the process could potentially take a dangerous turn if not properly monitored."

"So what do you want, ma'am?" said Tomoko-san as she worriedly looks toward her son. "Is Josuke..."

"I would suggest you stay here with Josuke for a while, as we honestly never had this case before. A stand manifestation happened at this young age is unprecedented," said great-grandmother calmly.

Of course, I want to say something about Kakyoin, but well, can't tell anyone that my stand's ability is to forcibly rip someone's memory and read their deepest secret, can't I?

"You want me to stay here?"

"You are Josuke's mother," said great-grandmother. "And I do remember you told my granddaughter last week about you living in an apartment near here anyway."

"Well, I am currently a practicing teacher at a middle school near here, and..."

"Of course, you could live here for free, Tomoko-san, we have plenty of rooms here," said my mother and at this point, I just looked at her with disbelief. Is mom just actually invite Tomoko-san to live here for... free? Alright, there is Megumin, but...

"We don't wish to impose, but..." said the elder Higashikata.

"Of course, you could still visit them anytime you want, Higashikata-san," said great-grandmother with a sad smile. "At least until Josuke's stand finally properly manifested and he could control it properly. Your family could neither see nor perceive his stand powers, it could prove a disaster if his stand proves to be uncontrollable or worse..."

At least there is logic in great-grandmother insisting that Josuke-chan staying here. Seeing that the Higashikatas only look silently at her, however.

"And I am sorry if this was something that could be rather sensitive to you, miss, but may I ask... Who is Josuke's father?"

I could feel that the temperature in this room dropped several degrees, as the elder Higashikata shook his head, and Tomoko-san could only looking down awkwardly without saying anything.

"She didn't even want to tell her own parents about Josuke's father, ma'am," said the middle-aged man softly. "We only knew that whoever the bastard is, he isn't Japanese. No offense intended, but Josuke did have obviously westerner features, I am afraid that she has been seduced by an irresponsible man who flees from her as soon as he learned she was pregnant..."

"Oh My God..." said great-grandmother as she shook her head while my mother just closes her mouth with her hands in shock. "Is... Is that a hurtful memory, miss? Of course, you shouldn't answer that, but there is no use protecting a man who dumped you in the end."

"No, don't get the wrong idea... I... I loved him... I loved Josuke's father..." said Tomoko-san as she hugs Josuke-chan tightly, tears pooling under her eyes. "I just..."

"Well... So... You love him?" said great-grandmother as she softly put her hand on Tomoko-san's shoulder. "I'll be honest with you miss, I asked because that was... How we at the Speedwagon Foundation need to keep track of people with supernatural powers like your son."

Why did it feel like some disaster is bound to happen?

"I... I just don't want to speak about it..." said Tomoko-san as she wipes her tears. "Please don't talk about it..."

"Alright miss, we don't want to impose, so that's your choice..." said great-grandmother while looking back to the elder Higashikata. "Anyway, due to the circumstances of your grandson's, the Speedwagon Foundation would shoulder the expense of your daughter and grandson during their stay here. It is our duty to ensure that there are no supernatural disaster happened, so..."

"I understand ma'am," said the elder Higashikata while his daughter sighed in relief and sips her orange juice.

"Good, I think we shall head out together to take your belongings after we finished our lunch. Holly and the kids will prepare for your room here, don't worry about that," said great-grandmother as it was kind of sign for everyone to start eating.

But something did bugger my mind for a while... About who Josuke-chan's father is, and why Tomoko-san seems to be protecting him...

And speaking of which, it was indeed obvious that Josuke has westerner features. Remembering what Avdol said about how a stand user is being 'connected to their descendants', however...

"Psst, great-granny, is this something related to the Hol Horse case I got involved earlier?" I whispered to great-grandmother, who only look at me in annoyance.

"That's not related Jozuma," said great-grandmother while sighed for me to shut up, but my curiosity took my better part, so...

"Tomoko-san, I'm sorry to ask about this, but is Josuke's father an American?"

"Stop that Jozuma, could you respect Tomoko-san's privacy?" said great-grandmother as she is now positively glaring at me.

As Tomoko-san just stay silent while slowly munching her rice, I decided that maybe Tomoko-san actually need someone who could help track that irresponsible bastard at the first place, so...

"Well, at least we should tell Jiji about this. There are only a handful of stand users in the world, and we just found one near the Joestar Tower earlier, perhaps he is..."

*SPROOOTTT!*

I found my face and upper body sticky with rice, as Tomoko-san suddenly sprayed all her food on top of me.

"What?!" I said in annoyance while trying to wipe all the icky chewed-up rice off from my face.

"I... I'm sorry... Jo... Joestar? Do... Do you know Joseph Joestar?" Tomoko-san stutters as everyone is now looking at us.

"Well yes, he's my grandfather and the CEO of the Speedwagon Foundation, maybe he could help us getting that 'irresponsible westerner' that is Josuke's father so..."

"YOU ARE JOSEPH'S... wait a minute, so..." said Tomoko-san while she is now practically looking toward great-grandmother, who only winced in return.

"Oh My God... of anyone who blurted it..." said great-grandmother as her face turned into one of resignation. "Yes, Joseph Joestar is my son, and Holly here is his daughter... Truth to be told, Josuke is my grandson."

"JOOOSSSEEEFFFFFFUUUUUUUUU!"

...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

As there is now an uproar in the living room over the revelation, and how my great-grandmother and mother tried to calm the Higashikatas, I managed to slip out unnoticed toward the cordless phone and went through the motion to go to a relatively secluded place in the backyard.

I do feel bad for Jiji, for it was me who blurted out his name when I should take the hint over how meticulously my great-grandmother and mother tried to avoid referring to their 'Joestar' name, and I can't imagine what kind of punishment he would get from granny and Darkness when the news end up coming to them.

Call it solidarity between men, but... Well, revealing paternity when said child is a two-going-to-almost-three years old only add to the confused screaming and crying... Not to mention that the elder Higashikata also has some choice words to say to the parent of said "irresponsible american", I definitely regret plunging Jiji into this kind of shit.

"Hello, Joseph Joestar here?" said Jiji from the phone after I dialed Jiji's private number.

"Uh... Jiji... I'm sorry but... Forgive me... You need to get away from your house, fast!"

"Jozuma? What happened? Jozuma?"

"Something happened here, and I don't know how to..."

"Don't say that you woke up your Pillar Woman friend! I told you not to and..."

"No... It's not about that! You know Tomoko Higashikata who come into my house last week, right?"

"Uh... WHAT?"

"She has a son, and he's yours,"

"HOLY SHIT! WHAT HAPPENED? DID SHE..."

"Uh... It seems that great-grandmother would call granny or Lalatina soon about that, so all I could give you is a headstart to get out of your home RIGHT NOW!"

"OH, MY GOOODDD!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31 - Guess Who's Coming Tonight**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 1 May 1986**

It has been three days since Jiji jumped through his penthouse window in the middle of the night, much to his family's immediate bewilderment. That alone might've been taken as a suicide attempt, if not because Darkness almost immediately spotted the trashy old man swung his way between skyscrapers, using the vines produced by his stand. Sensing something must be wrong, she immediately follows him jumping out of the window to give her old man a chase.

It was said that while Hermit Purple vines could have easier time swinging and maneuvering between the high rises of Manhattan, dinosaur claws sunk into concrete, coupled with Hamon assisted jumps trumps them when it comes to climbing quickly to the rooftops. Darkness chased her father through higher grounds for around twenty minutes, before managed to finally catch up with him. The trashy old man apparently panicked seeing his daughter suddenly trying to catch him, mistimed his swing and plunged into the Hudson River. From there, it was a rather easy task for Darkness to literally drags her father back home on foot, even as the old man (and his Draq-Queen stand) unexpectedly become very apologetic over something, for somewhat reasons (she didn't know yet about Jiji's affair at the particular point of time).

Great-grandmother did call the New York Joestars around an hour later or so, and the females' reaction is pretty much very understandable. We in Japan only heard Granny saying something about Jiji being 'lightly mauled' by a dinosaur, and made to sleep with the dogs from that night onwards. From what little I could recognize during the telephone calls, Iggy seems to laugh at him all the time because of that.

...

From what I could hear that afternoon, great-grandmother did outright said that she never expected to deal with this kind of irresponsible behavior from Jiji, at least not after her son has already married for forty-seven years, while already have two daughters and a grandson from his marriage.

As for the danger of developing a stand at such a young age is very real (according to Avdol anyway), we are still essentially forced to take care of Josuke-chan here. Thankfully, our little stand demonstration before convinced the Higashikatas enough about the need of Josuke being properly observed until his stand has properly manifested and the risk of him developing any kind of stand-related-sickness being thoroughly minimized.

The reveal of Jiji being Josuke's biological father already caused an uproar, and after literally hours of screaming, crying, pleading, and profusely apologizing (from my mother and great-grandmother anyway), they finally come into some sort of voluntary agreement about the responsibility on Josuke, or something like that (without Jiji's presence but that's his own fault). With the stand powers thought to be somewhat hereditary (and thus, again, Jiji's fault), the elder Higashikata demanded that the old trashy irresponsible pervert geezer to come to Japan and formally apologizes to his family not only for ruining his daughter's life (as this does ruin Tomoko-san's chance to get a proper marriage, mind you), but also causing harm to his grandson's life forever (it seems that even if his grandson is being a bastard and object of slanderous gossips at Morioh, he and his family still thoroughly loved him, must be hard for the little guy, I know).

...

"Of course Mama Lisa Lisa, we'll head to Japan as soon as we could... I honestly never seen this coming, not in forty-seven years! He has never betrayed my expectations before... We... At least we here could only ensure that Joseph will take his responsibility this time..."

The sobbing voice we heard from the phone speaker inside my parents' room is obviously Granny's, and even as I do have some sympathy to the perverted old man, I just can't help feeling bad and sad over how heartbroken granny is with the news, as she still cried her hearts out.

"Please don't say that Suzie Q, I don't want you to feel rushed through all of this..." said great-grandmother as she sighed and huffed an unlit cigarette. "On Joseph's behalf, we already made an agreement about child support and other required kinds of stuff with the Higashikata family."

Of course, she did say that she was used to smoking a lot when she was younger, but now, she only did that when she feels particularly stressed. At least great-grandmother is considerate enough to never lit her cigarette inside the house, and never shows it in front of Josuke-chan at all. I've tried to convince her that if she could have her bad habit of smoking, I should be allowed to drink alcohol too, citing 'my deepest concern' about Jiji's well being, and how I need to get drunk because of all of this shit. All I got is being thrown face first into the koi pond for those remarks though.

"I understand Mama Lisa Lisa, but what about Sadao? That was his house after all... Maybe you should've put that poor girl and her son somewhere else instead of bothering Holly's family, we could pay for them, so..."

"I already told Sadao the night before the Higashikatas even come to our home, as Granny realized that Josuke-chan must be one of Joestar blood very early on. Sadao basically told us to just use this home as we saw fit, and he... Oh wait, he did tell me yesterday night they were about to board the plane from Madrid, will transit at Cairo for some hours, before continuing their flight to Tokyo! I forgot!" said my mother, and with what she just said, we are being suddenly reminded that there is something else that we need to do this night. Of course, my mother and I usually waits for my father and Youjiro-san to come at Haneda, but right now...

"Well Holly, shouldn't you..." said great-grandmother, being suddenly reminded that this unexpected business regarding Jiji's illegitimate son caused us to almost forget that my father will come here as well.

"But... Mama... I... Oh, wait... Jojo, could you and Megumin-chan being the one waiting for your father at the airport today?"

I just raised an eyebrow at that request, remembering that we are all talking here because granny asked us to do so (even if I didn't speak much to her today). Looking at my mother's face, however, I immediately knew that she must've wanted to talk more with granny over this family problem of theirs, and waiting for my father's arrival at Haneda would be an easy job anyway, so...

"Here's the taxi money Jojo, your father will arrive around 9.15 PM and they might take some time at the customs office," said my mother with a big smile on her face.

"Of course mom, don't worry too much about me, I knew what I should do."

...

As we still have enough time to come to Haneda by Metro, and the extra money from the price difference is always nice, we end up arriving at Haneda by 9 PM sharp, still enough time to walk to the international arrivals just in time for my father. Of course, being a famous musician himself, my father's face should be recognizable enough for Megumin too, and it wasn't like we are in a hurry after all.

"I've only seen your father on television before Jojo! Will he ask so many things about me? Am I cute enough to get some promotions as an Idol singer? Your mom does tell him all about me right Jojo? Right? Right?"

"My father is a Jazz musician, and he doesn't exactly know anything about all this 'Idol Singer' fad, dammit!" of course, living in the 1980s during the 'Golden Age of Idols', even Megumin wanted to be one too. Should I frighten her by telling that being an Idol meant she can't have a boyfriend, must watch for all her words, and severely tune down her violent tendencies?

"But JoooJoooooo... Can you not crush my dreams like that?"

"How can I crush something that would never exist anyway, you are way too short for being a proper Idol, but already too old for the junior divisions!"

"Don't crush my hopes and dreams like that! At least use your stand to take some height from Darkness and let me be a taller girl!"

"Oi, my stand didn't work that way!"

"But why did I missed all the good stuff? Even Darkness could transform into a Dragon-Reptilian Thing and that was cooler than being a simple schoolgirl like this!"

Seeing Megumin might've started a long, pointless conversation between us that could result in us totally missing my father, I decided that maybe I should just saying something that she would like any way, so...

"Say Megumin, at this rate of how weird shit upon weird shit is going on, I would bet that you will get your Explosion back, sooner or later..."

"Really?! Oh, thank you! Thank you Kazuma!" chirped Megumin happily, well this is indeed just as easy as expected so...

"Well, let's wait for my father and not distracting him too badly, shall we? The current matter regarding my grandfather's... uh... affair... is already too much for the most of us."

Megumin at least nods in agreement to my statement, something that I was glad about because the airport chime soon announces that...

"Japan Airlines, flight 723 from Cairo has arrived..."

"Cairo?" Megumin raised her eyebrows.

"My Father and Youjiro-san took transit flights because the direct one is already full for some reasons. Started with Emirates from Madrid to Cairo, before taking Japan Airlines from Cairo to Tokyo."

"You still remember that my father worked at Cairo, yes?"

I wondered about what Megumin just said for a while, before remembering her story about her family.

"Oh yes, I remember! But he only transmitted at Cairo, and thus likely to only spent his few hours there sipping coffee in the airport cafe or something unremarkable like that."

"My father only return home to Japan twice a year, during the New Year and during the summer holidays... I wonder if..."

"Well, at least he would come here next August, eh?"

"E-heh," said Megumin with a smile and we returned to our current job, gazing at the arrivals to look for my father.

...

After waiting for almost half an hour, I see my father walking towards us with his old butler Youjiro-san carrying their suitcases, sounds normal enough as I waved my hands towards him and he nods back at me. But what happened soon after did surprises me the most.

The short, old-looking man with partially bald, greying hair walking just behind my father suddenly called Megumin, of all people.

"MEGUMI-CHAN! HOW DID YOU KNOW?! Your big brother told you about my arrival, isn't he? Where is Yoshikage?" said the bald man as he runs towards Megumin before they hugged.

"Father? Why are you here?" said Megumin, apparently just as equally surprised as her father.

"Oh, come on? Where is my son Yoshikage? I already told him that I could go back home by Taxi, there is no need for you two to pick me up, so..."

"Jojo, where is your mother?" said my father as he put his hand on my shoulder, even as I stood in disbelief with the sheer coincidence that Megumin's father also coming to Japan using the same airplane, of all things.

"Well, you know, Jiji and his... Uh... How to say this" I could only stutter as I can't really explain that to my father, but he just smiled and slowly pats my shoulder.

"I know, we'll talk later after we eat, alright?" said my father as he nods to Youjiro-san and we immediately walked towards the exist when...

"Wait a minute, father... Onii-sama is not here, and I wasn't supposed to meet you at the arrival..." said Megumin as her father raised his eyebrows at her remark. "I actually come here with my boyfriend Jojo to pick his father instead, I am sorry!"

"So, Yoshikage is not here?" said Megumin's father before he noticed me and my father looking towards them. "Hah? Your... Your boyfriend is really the son of Sadao Kujo? I thought they just have similar surnames!"

The shocking surprise on her father's eyes did cause me to reflexively bow to apologize for the sudden, unexpected meeting between us. I also signed to Megumin that if she wanted to go back to her home, that would not be a problem, but...

"It surprises me that we've sat side-by-side during the flight without even really introduce ourselves to each other, Kujo-san. I am Kira Yoshihiro, Megumi-chan's father... Nice to be your acquaintance."

"Uh... Kujo Sadao... I can't believe that you are the father of my son's girlfriend!"

...

Long story short, since the route to Morioh did pass across the Omori district where I lived, my father insisted that we could take a taxi together and invite Kira Yoshihiro for dinner at my place.

Considering the mess that currently in the house, with my grandfather's mistress and bastard son being present, I tried to tell father that it won't be a good idea, but for somewhat reasons, my father is thoroughly oblivious with all of this.

Of course, that was Jiji's mess, I could just claim myself being more Kujo than Joestar, and maybe Megumin's father won't really ask anything about it.

"Father? What's this long thing that you carried on your suitcase?" said Megumin as she noticed something packed in a long cardboard box that is tied to her father's suitcase when we arrived at the front of the gatehouse.

"This thing? Oh, it's an antique arrow. I bought it for your brother..." said her father with a soft smile on his face.

"Yoshikage-san is an antique collector?"

"No, my son isn't really an antique collector... I just thought that arrow... Would be nice to have..." said Yoshihiro-san with a grin that seems rather forced. "Could you put it back on its place, Megumi-chan? That was a surprise gift for your brother."

Is that just me or the music from the TV is particularly loud today?

 _._

 _She's a killer ~Queen~_

 _Gunpowder, gelatin_

 _Dynamite with a laser beam_

 _Guaranteed to blow your mind_

 _~Anytime~_

 _._

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32 - An Accursed Arrow**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 1 May 1986**

"Sadao! I'm so sorry for not being able to pick you up! I just can't leave mama when..." said my mother as she went out of the living room to greet my father.

"Sssh, I understand," said my father softly as he pulls her closer with a kiss. "Is there anything I could help, my love?"

"I don't know, we honestly don't really know what should we do about Papa..." said my mother as she buried her face into my father's chest.

"If only your mother is still alive, Megumi-chan..." said Megumin's father as he clutched Megumin's shoulder and shook his head. "That brings back memories."

"Ah, I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Kira-san, welcome to my home," said my father as he politely let the visibly older man enter the living room.

"Don't worry, Kujo-san. Just reminiscing about my late wife, mother of my two wonderful children. I hope that Megumi-chan living here doesn't bother you too much, Mrs. Kujo."

"Not really... Kira-san. Megumin-chan has been a good girl here," said my mother as she looked towards the short, old, balding man, and now I realize that the old man is actually slightly shorter than my mother.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am. I am Kira Yoshihiro, Megumi's father. You have my deepest gratitude for taking care of my daughter," said the elder Kira as he bows politely towards my mother, who returned the gesture.

"My name is Kujo Seiko, I'm glad we could meet here, Kira-san," said my mother with a smile. "Please come in."

"May I ask your permission to take a look at my daughter's room first? I want to have some words with Megumi-chan in private."

"Of course Kira-san, Megumin-chan's room is at the other side of the house."

As soon as the Kiras went to the other side of the house, my parents went into the living room. I actually want to know more about Megumin's father, but since it would be deemed impolite to snoop on them, I decide to just following my parents into the living room.

"Where is your grandmother?" said my father as he took his coat off to be carried by Youjiro-san to the laundry room.

"Josuke-chan, Papa's illegitimate son, has a fever again. Tomoko-san is currently running out to buy some supplies, so Granny is currently looking for Josuke-chan."

"And I used to think that your parents having your sister two weeks before our wedding day is the most bizarre thing happened," said my father with an awkward smile on his face. "Still can't believe your Papa's mistress is a Japanese."

"Well, Papa did say he'll never forgive the Japanese because you took me to live in the other side of the world," said my mother as she poured my father a cup of tea, before pouring her own. "Jojo, you want some tea or..."

"I'll take my own soda from the fridge mom," I said while rummaging the fridge to take a can of Coca-Cola. Could use Whitesnake but it might freaks out my father.

"To think that your Papa's mistress could be passed as our daughter," said my father as he shook his head and take a short sip of his tea. "How is your Mama coping up with that? Will she divorce your Papa?"

"I don't know, but I hope not. Mama did say something about threatening to divorce Papa when she just receives the news and being really angry with him, but then she cried to me about how she still loves Papa despite how badly he betrays her trust."

"And such is love..." said my father while he just looks out toward the backyard illuminated by garden lights. "I can't imagine how hurt she is, forty-seven years of trust being broken must hurt her a lot."

"Papa said that he only loves Mama, and he cheats only because he was bored and lonely, or something like that. I didn't hear that clearly as I was talking to Mama when Papa repeatedly said his apology before Lala drags him back to be locked up with the dogs again."

"And such is love..." said my father before he emptied his cup of tea. "To think that you two have to go through a lot of things in just last month."

My mother simply leaned and rested her head on my father's shoulder, and I took this might be the cue that they wanted some private time between themselves. But as I finished my drink and standing up from the table...

"Jojo, tell Youjiro-san to order a full-course meal for eight people from the Azure Peacock restaurant, and also go to the Liquor section and ask for their best shochu. We need to make your girlfriend's father feels welcome, right?"

"Sure, Dad!" I said with a smile as even despite everything that happened here, at least my father is still being the best father I've ever had. I wonder if I could ask for a glass or two during the dinner though.

"Shochu? Seriously?" said my mother as she raised her eyebrows upon the mention of said liquor. "Sadao, you usually drink just beer, what if..."

"Kira-san is our son's prospective father-in-law, my love. We need to give him the best impression, so..."

"Well, if that is your wish..."

"Trust me Seiko, my love... I knew what I am doing."

...

It seems that due to Josuke-chan still being sick, Tomoko-san need to stay on her room, and for somewhat reasons, the Higashikatas didn't even meet Megumin's father at all, sparing us from having to explain things to him. Great-grandmother just took her seat at the dining table without any fuss, and Youjiro-san carried Tomoko-san's dinner to her room, so there are only six people seated on the dining table.

The dinner started in a rather surprising formality though, just common hospitality and polite conversations expected from my parents and Megumin's father. With some questions about our school life, some mention about Yoshikage-san, some mention about weird Youkai-related kinds of stuff going on (that my parents, and especially great-grandmother tried to underplay to not having things blown out of proportion), and how the elder Kira invites my parents to go to his home at Morioh later at the mid of May, close to the date when he must return back to work at Egypt.

It was all orderly and calm, until...

...

"Ahhh... Kujo-saaan! Thank you for all your hospitalityyy..." slurred Megumin's father as he half-sobbing, half-laughing himself after drinking way too much shochu to be sober.

"It was myyy pleasurrreee... Kira-saaan..." said my father, who is as equally drunk as the elder Kira, as he pours another batch of Shochu for my prospective father-in-law.

Yes, it was started by how my father didn't specify how many bottles should be bought, and I just mentioned five in hope that the elderly butler would be sane enough to open just one for the dinner, and keep the rest somewhere, after which I could try to steal them with Whitesnake.

This naughty ideas of mine, however, end up going way off the expected route when Youjiro-san just presented all the five bottles on top of the dining table, and my father didn't really question that as he opened the first bottle. Then when the bottle is almost empty, Megumin's father opened another one to toast for our well-being, and it goes downhill from there.

Maybe this is just the curse of having Aqua here, even as a stone statue. She was Goddess of Drunkenness after all.

"If only my Makoto could be here..." said Megumin's father as he bawled after downing his cup, all while my father just boisterously slaps his back. "She was only fifty-eight when she passed away, she didn't even manage to see Yoshikage graduated from his high school!"

"Waaaittt a minuttteee... Kira-san. Just how old are you?" said my father, apparently just realizing that Megumin's father is definitely as old as he looks.

"I am already living in this world for sixty-three years old... We had our children when we're already old..." said the elder Kira who is now pouring another pair of cups for himself and my father to give a toast about.

"Holly, aren't they already too drunk at this point? Could you just tell them to stop drinking? Is this the expected Japanese norm when discussing their children's marriage prospects?" whispered great-grandmother to my mother, who could only slowly shook her head at the unusual, but otherwise very understandable situation of having two men got drunk in front of them.

"Ano... I... I don't really know. I did know that Japanese men often get drunk during feast and festivities, but..."

"Why he didn't just refuse to have further toasts?"

"Sadao often can't bring himself to deny anyone their requests to toast if they were friendly enough, especially when Kira-san is Jojo's future father-in-law. I just don't know how to tell them to stop without..."

"I do not intend to ruin this moment, but I feel something bad is going to happen if those two keep drinking like that..."

I could only roll my eyes at how my great-grandmother is being uncomfortable with the sight of my father and Megumin's father being drunk. Both are having very friendly mood, and it's not like they are shouting to each other or something. Plus they even permit me and Megumin drank few cups each this night, for that particular toast about 'Our future' of some sort, but it seems that they are being content to out-drink each other right now instead of properly distributing the liquor, so...

"I myself only played in Cairo Conservatoire once, and that was a long time ago... Can't remembeeerrr anything notable but the song..." said my father as he somehow gets ahold of his Saxophone and starts playing his Jazz tunes while Megumin's father cheering him.

At least my father is a world-class musician, even his drunken Saxophone play is still beautiful.

"You don't go visiting pyramids or tooombs?" slurred the elder Kira as soon as my father finished his impromptu drunken show.

"Pyramids and sphinxes are boring, Kira-saaan... I just can't think... Anything... That could get out there from them..." said my father as the two drunken guys just laughed at each other while pouring each other more shochu at that joke.

I looked at the television, as I heard something like gongs and tambourines playing there, before an American Female Rock Band playing their song there...

 _._

 _All the school kids so ~sick of books~_

 _They like the punk and the ~metal band~_

 _When the buzzer ~rings~_

 _They're ~walking like an Egyptian~_

 _._

 _All the kids in the marketplace say_

 _~Walk like an Egyptian~_

 _._

Which is quite fitting compared to the two drunk men, and the later, as if also noticing the lyrics.

"And wooow, to think that we met because we took the same flight from Egypttt..." slurred my father as he mimicked the melody with his saxophone.

"And speaking of old paintings in the Tomb..." said the elder Kira while scratching his hair just under his big, shiny bald area. "Wanna see the antique arrow I've brought from Egypt? I got that from my friend Enya, she said that it would bring good luck to anyone who gets ahold of it, and that's why I... I... I want to gift that to my son Yoshikage, he does need the luck to get himself a proper girl... Hahaha... Ha ha ha ha..."

"Your big brother must be too much of a nice guy that his female friends thought him better as friends than lovers eh," I said that toward Megumin, who end up pinching my cheek for my remarks to her 'Onii-sama'.

"Onii-sama mentioned having girlfriends before, and he does often bought some trinkets for them from time to time. I never saw any of them, but maybe that was because Onii-sama is too kind-hearted and generous, he was dumped by those ungrateful bitches..."

"But to think that your father apparently thought your big brother need some sort of charm, damn..."

"Do you all want to see the arrrrrrooow?" questioned Megumin's father and my father only gave him a thumbs-up as a sign that he could take the long cardboard box earlier mentioned by Megumin.

As the elder Kira opened the tinfoil wrappings, we could see a bronze-gold glint from the reflected lamp lights, and as the object inside the box was fully taken out, we could see a dark-gold colored arrow with a glowing silver-bronze edge.

That somehow having a soft glow around it, but I dismiss that as being slightly tipsy from having two and a half cups of shochu.

"Ooooh, that must be an expensive one, Kiraaa-saaan... Might I see it?" slurred my father and the elder Kira just wobble his way back to him.

Only for his feet to accidentally slipped on an empty bottle, causing him to fall and...

Said Arrow in question somehow end up lodged into the elder Kira's neck, and the sight of this bloody accident caused Megumin and My Mother to scream...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

Looking that Megumin's father just managed to stab himself in the neck with that antique arrow he himself bought from Egypt. I immediately jumped to help him before it's too late...

Of course, what will Yoshikage-san say if his father died in my house, Even if the said accident was caused by the old man himself?

"Jozuma, don't just pull out that arrow from his neck, don't touch him at all, it could prove fatal!" said great-grandmother as she moves in to assess the damage without touching Megumin's father. "He is still breathing, but the wounds are too deep... God, the arrow is lodged into his spine..."

"OH MY GOD! I should've warned them not to become too drunk like this..." cried my mother while the accident seems to immediately caused my father to become sober enough.

"Father..." cried Megumin as she tried to shook her father, only for great-grandmother to yank her.

"It is too risky to move him, wait for the medics, the arrow is lodged too close with his spine. Moving him incorrectly could be fatal!"

"BUT HE WOULD DIE IF WE DIDN'T DO SOMETHING!" I just point out how Megumin's father having blood keep coming from his neck. "Can't you at least pull out the arrow or..."

"God, this wound is so obviously fatal, I don't know how he is being alive..." said great-grandmother as she tried to move Megumin's father, but she winced at the last moment after mentioning the wound being 'obviously fatal'.

"BUT HE'S STILL ALIVE!"

"I'll call medics from the Speedwagon Foundation. This is not something I could do without medical supervision!" said great-grandmother as she went away from the dying man.

"AQUA COULD HELP HIM!" I just point out the obvious that Aqua, with her healing powers, might just have a chance, but considering how great-grandmother is not exactly happy to get her released ahead of schedule.

"DO NOT TRY THAT JO..." she just turned towards me when I summoned Whitesnake in front of her. Sure, in a straight fight, I might end up losing, but as I have the element of surprise right now, and not to mention that Megumin's father needs to be saved...

"I'm sorry, great-granny..." I said while Whitesnake forcibly rips the two discs out of great-grandmother's head. She didn't immediately fall, however, as she managed to give me a look of utter disbelief before she finally starts to falls down. At least I did have the decency to catch her falling body and immediately gave her limp body to my father and Youjiro-san.

"Move great-grandmother somewhere else, I'll wake her up later, this is a matter between life and death for Kira-san, I need to save him first," I said while pocketing the discs I got from my great-grandmother's head, trying to not look at her memory discs due to privacy issues.

...

Thankfully, there is no need to break the door toward Aqua's storage room. My father had the master key and it was an easy matter of yanking the electric plugs to switch off all the UV floodlights.

As I cut open my palm, I just hope that awakening Aqua would not create further trouble for us today. I just don't want Megumin and Yoshikage-san's father to end up dead because he got drunk here. I only silently pray to whatever Gods that look upon this world to not take the old man's life before I could manage to use Aqua's powers to revive him.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

 _._

 _~Walk like an Egyptian~_

 _._


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33 - Free At Last**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 1 May 1986**

"Come on Aqua, aren't you supposed to get out of your stone form faster than this?!" I said as the rate which the stone absorbed my blood is too slow for the emergency situation we currently found ourselves in.

Before there are cracks forming and Aqua jumps out of the crumbling stone form. For somewhat reasons, her skin is red, burnt-looking, and even have small gashes all over the place, like getting an extremely bad sunburn all over her body.

"AAAAAAAAA! DON'T TOUCH ME LIKE THAT YOU HIKI-NEET! THAT OLD BITCH ROASTS ME FOR WAAAY TOO LONG! WHY TOOK YOU THREE SO LONG TO FREE ME?!" screamed Aqua as soon as I tried to immediately take her to save Megumin's father, but Aqua yanked her hand out of mine. I looked at her and she immediately used her tentacles to shook me either because of her pain or the annoyance of us taking too long to finally wake her up. "WHY TOOK YOU SO LOOONG?! WHY?! WHY?!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"Three?" said Megumin.

"Where is Darkness?" said Aqua as she stopped shaking me and looked around the room, only to found myself and Megumin there.

"She's at New York, halfway across the world, but we need your healing power now Aqua! There is no time to waste!" I said while trying to drag her back with Whitesnake, just to be safe.

"IF THIS IS ABOUT THOSE OLD BASTARDS FORGET IT! LET THEM DIE! HMPH!" Aqua pouts and tried to yank Whitesnake away, and her sheer power almost made my stand release his grip. Only the fact that she can't really interact with my stand stops her from just bolting out of the way. "TELL YOUR FREAKING GHOST TO RELEASE MY PERFECTLY BEAUTIFUL HAND YOU HENTAI-NEET!"

"Please save my father Aqua-sama! He stabbed himself in the neck!" said Megumin as she cried and repeatedly bowed deep towards Aqua, so much that Aqua's face immediately changed from one of annoyance to one of concern.

"Your father? Why don't you tell me first? Where is he?" Aqua said as she stopped resisting while Whitesnake drags her to the living room.

"I hope your father is still salvageable, Megumin..."

...

As we entered the living room, the elder Kira is still laying on his own blood while my mother is apparently too afraid to move from her previous position. I almost thought that this effort is already too late until I noticed the slow rising and lowering of his chest, signed that this old man is still breathing, despite his fatal wounds according to my great-grandmother.

"You could save him, right Aqua?"

After taking a look at the old man, Aqua suddenly snatched the last bottle of shochu from the table.

"HEY! SAVE HIM FIRST YOU DRUNKARD..." I reflexively shout at her, but then I realize that she actually poured the liquor on her hand to create the slime I remembered when she heals my face.

"Water Mode!" said Aqua as she twirled the slime on her hand and put that into the neck of the dying old man, before nonchalantly pulling the arrow out, throwing that sharp object directly to the ceiling.

"Hey, don't just throw sharp things like that without regards to anyone else!" I chided Aqua for how nonchalantly she treated what is obviously a potentially lethal object.

"Shut-up Hiki-NEET! Can't you see I am currently saving him?" said Aqua as she heals the stab wound from Megumin's father.

"Is my father safe now? Will he be alright?" said Megumin while Aqua is giving her the thumbs-up.

"It's done," said Aqua as the wound on the old man's neck just literally vanished before our eyes. "That was easy! Are you sure that was a fatal wound, Jojo-dono?"

Everyone present in the room, my mother included end up just staring at her with disbelief at how she nonchalantly refers to an arrow going through the neck and through the vertebra as 'non-fatal wound'.

"Am I saying something wrong? His wound is non-fatal, I told you!" said Aqua as she now standing in front of us, apparently oblivious with what she just imply.

"You don't just turn Megumin's father into a Vampire or something... R-Right?"

"Nope, he is still human, just being perfectly healed. Creating a vampire requires either the stone mask or giving my blood directly. Should I turn him into a vampire?"

"Oh..." I was immediately relieved when I heard that she didn't turn the elder Kira into Vampire or worse. Maybe she refers that wound being non-fatal solely because intelligence is her lowest stat, so...

"No dammit!" said Megumin as she cradles her father's head. "Will he recover?"

"Don't worry too much, with my awesome water mode healing, all he needs is a night's rest and everything would be... YEOWCH!"

At the very last time, I barely noticed that the accursed arrow Aqua previously thrown toward the ceiling was apparently loose enough, that it suddenly falls and before any of us could react, that very same arrow is now lodged deep into Aqua's butt.

If not because the accursed arrow almost killed Megumin's father before, and Aqua not standing in front of us with this kind of whole-body burn, we might think the scene as comical, but...

"OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!"

And now, I could only look at the disbelief of how useless this ex-Goddess is. From what Jiji said, the Pillar Persons was apparently the pinnacle of high-level body manipulation, and I would bet that every other of them except Aqua will just nonchalantly pull out that very obviously non-fatal arrow and regenerate themselves. But to see this Pillar Woman just run around like a headless chicken.

"I told you Aqua! I told you!" I said while Whitesnake managed to restrain her for a while, and after an awkward look from my mom, I just yanked the arrow out of Aqua's butt. "I'll keep this accursed arrow safe you useless Youkai. You could heal yourself, right?"

"Uuuuuuuiii..." whimpered Aqua with tears pooling under her eyes, which made me wonder, why the ancient Hamon practitioners deemed her as the most dangerous Pillar (Wo)Man anyway?

Looking that letting this dangerous sharp object unsecured would be unwise, I just wrap its original tinfoil wrap around it before placing that arrow back into its former cardboard box, all while muttering something about how lax airport security in the 1980s is, even for an international flight like this. If only the elder Kira carried it inside a more secured, hard-to-open container, or even just sent them via international package, this kind of absurd tragedy won't even happen at the first place.

"Is it safe to move him?" I asked Aqua, who winced and give me an ok sign with her hand. But then, I just realize that even if she could heal the elder Kira, she didn't exactly regenerate her burnt skin, and the stab wound caused by the arrow at her butt is still very visible, which concerned me a lot.

"Isn't Pillar Persons was supposed to have super regeneration or something like that?" I asked again, and Aqua unexpectedly bawl.

"I AM HUNGRYYY JOJO-DONO! FEED ME!"

...

I already tossed Aqua whatever left of the shochu and also let her eat all the leftover food present on the table, but while she unsurprisingly pigs herself on the leftovers and drunk the shochu, she only gets little better from her previous condition.

Of course, I already moved the unconscious body of the elder Kira into Megumin's room, and my parents and butler are apparently looking at how Aqua pigs herself on all the leftovers.

"She is the Youkai-servant bound by your blood-sealed contract?" said my father as Aqua apparently ignored him in effort to shove all the leftover foods into her mouth; bones, garnishes, and vegetable stumps included as she was apparently very, very hungry.

"Yes... Uh, Aqua... Aqua..." I said while she just turned her head and looked at us with comically big, food-filled cheeks.

"Hmpfff... Hmmmpf?" said Aqua before swallowing all the food within her cheek in a single, impossible looking gulp. "Oh, Jojo! I'm still hungry! Who's..."

"This is my father, Kujo Sadao, and this is his butler, Youjiro Sota."

At least they know she's a youkai and won't be too bothered with her currently uncouth table manner, as Aqua squatted on the table before she realized that my father is in front of her, and immediately stand up at the ready like a good maid is.

Thank Gods for she still wearing my tattered tracksuit I let her wear before she turned into stone too, having her being introduced in her underwear would be rather awkward.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for my lack of manner Kujo-dono," said Aqua in surprising politeness, considering that she just eating like a beast a few seconds before. "Being turned into stone and burnt with sunlight lamps for twenty-four days made me extremely hungry! You are the one who drove the old bitch out, yes?"

"No... Jojo is the one who knocked out his great-grandmother," said my father as he exchanged an awkward look with my mother.

"Ah! I knew you will stand up for me Jojo-dono!" said Aqua as she bows towards me. "I am still hungry. I need to eat the quintessence of living beings to repair the damage that old bitch caused with her sun lamps to regenerate myself. Do you have someone you don't like for me to eat? Your lousy neighbor? Your evil teacher? Someone who owes you money?"

"You are not permitted to eat humans without my express permission in the contract, idiot!" I said while smacking her head, caused Aqua to wince and whine but otherwise act like a well-bound youkai.

"But I need living beings' quintessence to regenerate from this kind of wound!" said Aqua with tears in her eyes.

"You need to eat living beings?" said my father with raised eyebrows.

"Well, maybe she could eat the Koi, or I'll catch some stray dogs or cats for..."

"How about calves instead?" said my father, and I swear that Aqua just give him the biggest smile she had after being re-awakened here.

...

Living at the Tokyo suburb really makes you think what was wrong when a truck carrying half dozen of live wagyu calves arrives at your front door, and it was even more awkward when you need to haul them into their makeshift place, that was pretty ironic, the upper side of what should be Aqua's containment bunker. Of course, we didn't tell her what was that, but...

"ITADAKIMASU!" said Aqua as she jabbed her hand into one of the calves, who end up quickly shriveled and deflated at that weird-ass eating method, but at least I could see her skin visibly regenerates from the burn.

One calf is not enough, however, and she ends up eating two more before her skin returned into her natural tone, leaving the three surviving calves shuddered in fear as they would bolt out if not because we already tied them to some concrete posts.

"Geez, Aqua, try to eat more cleanly next time!" I said while lifting one of the leftover calfskins and flaps it to make Aqua noticed about her peculiar leftover. Well, unlike the deflated koi skins, this one will definitely cause some questions if it ended into the trash, mind you.

"I need to eat them all?" said Aqua before nonchalantly bite into the skin with her mouth.

"Yes, and you better clean the place before Tomoko-san or Josuke-chan wakes up and questions anything about you!"

"Who?"

"Oh damn my mouth..." I realized that I just blurted out the other current residents of my house, but. "Well, they are my mother's guests."

"Megumin's relative?"

"Nope, my mother's relative..." I end up sighing while trying to think about the potential encounter between them while remembering about something else. "And my great-grandmother is currently unconscious, I'll wake her up soon, but you are not permitted to kill or even eat her, understand?"

"But..."

"I think I know how to render her harmless, Aqua."

...

After we gave Aqua a new Adidas tracksuit to wear and settled her into the room that should be hers at the first place (she is happy to clean that room by herself anyway), I finally inserted my great-grandmother's memory disc back into her head, but not the Fool's stand disc.

I do feel bad for tying her hands and feet behind her first, but that was just a security measure.

"Jo... Jozuma... What... What have you done..." said great-grandmother as she looked at me, and she immediately looked toward Aqua and Megumin, who stood just behind. "What are you doing?"

"I am sorry Lisa-baba, but we need Aqua to save my father," said Megumin in an awkward manner.

"Jojo-dono forbid me to eat you, even though you are a Hamon warrior who murdered my family, because if you die his mother would be sad," said Aqua coldly. "You should thank him for that..."

"Well, I'm sorry great-granny, but have you realized something?" I said while Whitesnake shows her the stand disc of [THE FOOL] and she immediately realizes what has happened.

"You took away the stand?! What have you done?! I need that to look after my sick grandson!" said great-grandmother with horror in her eyes. "You... You..."

"If you only need to 'look at' you could use my mother's stand disc, right?" I just try to point out the obvious. "Even if my mother was supposed to be unable to control that, you sure have the mental strength required so..."

"..." At this point, my great-grandmother could only look at me with disbelief on her face.

"Well, not my fault and that was due to emergency measure. Kira-san might've been dead if not because of Aqua healing him despite still being burnt all over, so..."

"You... You let her eat..."

"Calves, my dad bought half a dozen calves for her. From now on, she will stay here as Kujo family youkai servant so..."

Great-grandmother's eyes turned wide as Whitesnake moves the disc near Aqua's head.

"Well, this might work or not working, but at least we should try first, right?" I said with a grin even as Aqua is visibly unnerved with the flying disc near her head and literally flinched at the last time. "Dammit! Why are you so afraid of this! I just want to give you a stand power dammit!"

"It is not painful right? It is not painful right? It is not painful right?" cried Aqua as she unashamedly crouching and tries to hide behind Megumin.

And I notice that great-grandmother's face just turned into one of sheer disbelief at Aqua's cowardly antics.

"Have you no shame? Do you realize that you tried to hide from a bit of pain in front of this 'Old Hamon Warrior'? Look at how she laughs at you now!" I just point out the extremely obvious, and even great-grandmother could only roll her eyes looking at that.

"And you were supposed to be the most dangerous, according to the old scrolls... Is there another Pillar Man or Woman left unawakened? Are you really the Dreadwater spawn of the Blazing King?"

"Don't speak of my Papa like that!" said Aqua in annoyance as she flails her arms around, which is rather more cute than fitting for someone whose nickname is supposed to be 'Dreadwater' but considering that was water-related, it couldn't be far from the truth.

"That's why you better stop flailing and let me insert this inside your head! It will give you power over sand!"

"That fits more for Wam-chan! He is the Fighting Genius and master of the Divine Sandstorm!"

"Dammit Aqua, should I just enter this disc back into my great-grandmother's head? I need to go to school so someone should watch over Josuke-chan in the first place! Your Wam-chan has already died forty-seven years ago like all the other Pillar Men, remember?"

"Uiiiuiiii... Wam-chan... Waaammm-chaaaaaannn! *SNOOORRRTTT* PAPAAA! UNCLE KAAARRRSSS" bawled Aqua as she just tearing up, and I couldn't help but feel bad about her. "Bwuhuhuhuhuhu..."

"Uh, great-granny... Could you promise not to kill her? And not to turn her back into being a stone Pillar at that..." I said to my great-grandmother, who only raised her eyebrows in confusion as Aqua is now bawling her eyes out while Megumin is trying to calm her down. "Look, she isn't even dangerous... She is just a poor girl who lost all her family back then..."

"Bwuhuhuhuhu... Paaapaaa..."

"Uh... so..."

"Bwuhuhuhuhu... Waaam-chaaan..."

"Promise me not to tell Jiji, as this might end fucking up my grandparents' family, even more, you know..."

"Uiiiuuuiii... *SNOOORT* Uiiiuuuiii..."

"So you want to return that stand disc for me?" said great-grandmother who is now already standing in front of me, how could she release all the bindings from that rope without my notice at the first place? "And while you are looking at me like that, are you forget that I could direct Hamon to control the movement of things? A plastic rope is harder to control than most materials, but it was an easy trick to do once you know the basics..."

"Dammit, you win this time, great-granny," I said while inserting the stand disc back into her head. "Aqua is harmless enough to not turned back into stone, right?"

"Yes... It was rather... Surprising... Of course, I won't do anything to her unless she attacks me first... She is just to... Pathetic..." said my great-grandmother with an awkward wince.

Well, at least Aqua is being deemed as too pathetic to be killed. It does works in the end, but...

Geez... If only her family could see her right now, they will either laugh their ass off or actually denounce her from being a Pillar Person at the first place.

...

 **Tokyo, Japan, 2 May 1986**

At least great-grandmother finally agree to not make a fuss about Aqua being out of her stone form, but she told me that the Pillar Woman should not be on the same room with her, at least for the time being.

And yes, she muttered something about how bizarre it was. She said that all the other Pillar Men is obviously dangerous warriors of their own rights, but Aqua definitely takes the cake of really bawls her hearts out that she actually feel bad Jiji effectively exterminated the rest of the Pillar Men forty-seven years ago. She did mutter something about how the Esidisi the Blazing King also supposedly bawl his hearts out back then, but great-grandmother refuses to give me further details about that.

Around 7.30 AM, Megumin's father awakened from his sleep, and since we are still worried about his condition. He seems fine though, even if he was understandably ashamed about making a scene last night, but since he was supposed to be at home at Morioh-cho today...

Well, Megumin already called her big brother last night, and informing him that their father was drunk, and thus forced to spend the night at my home. Yoshikage-san did immediately offer to drive there to take their father back home, but my father told him that he should not be worried about it, as Youjiro-san could drive him back to Morioh when he awakened next morning. Yoshikage-san apparently trusts us enough that he said his deepest gratitude to us, and said that he would be present at home this morning.

Naturally, as my parents are needed to have a meeting with my father's management team today, it falls to me and Megumin to skip school for 'family matters', as we would accompany her father back to Morioh-cho.

Sure, Tomoko-san is from Morioh-cho as well, but as she already went to teach at the middle-school earlier by bike, and great-grandmother is busy looking for Josuke-chan...

"Uh... Kira-san, what are you looking for?" I asked when the elder Kira seem to look for something within his suitcases.

"The arrow, where is the arrow Jozuma-kun?" said the old man in panic.

"Why did you ask for it, father? You almost die because of it, remember?" said Megumin, who is understandably concerned over his father looking for something that almost killed him just the night before.

"I... Uh..." said the elder Kira as he winced, seeming uncomfortable with the arrow being not in his possession. "Dio... I... I blew a fortune for that antique arrow, Jozuma-kun, even if it almost caused my death, that was... That was an antique golden arrow! I blew two million yen on that! Two million! That was still a special item I bought for my son Yoshikage!"

"Two million yen?" said Megumin with disbelief in her eyes. "You blew two million yen just for some random antique weapon?"

"That was for your big brother, Megumi-chan! I promise I'll get you something else next time! I promise..." said the old man as Megumin just shook her head.

"Can I have a complete set of Idol makeup kit next time?!" said Megumin while giving her best puppy eyes in front of her father. "Can I? Can I?!"

"Yes, you can! You can! I promise I'll get your complete Idol makeup kit next time! But where is the arrow?"

Oh well, so this is the heartfelt appreciation gift for Yoshikage-san, so...

"Well, it's not like we've thrown that arrow out... So that's a special appreciation gift for Yoshikage-san, so much that you are unwilling to part with it even if that almost become the cause of your death, am I right?"

The elder Kira quickly nod his head in confirmation and looking at how much he loved his children, I quickly dart out and retrieve the arrow from the lowest shelf of the living room closet, where it was still stored from Yesterday just after that thing landed at Aqua's butt.

"Here is your arrow, Kira-san," I said while the elder Kira immediately opened the cardboard box. "Hey, don't say you want to commit suicide or..."

Apparently, the elder Kira didn't really mean that as he only gently peeks under the tinfoil wrap, before re-wrapping it properly and stored it back into the box.

"Dio-sa... Uh... I mean... Please don't think about me like that, Jozuma-kun. This old man just wanted to ensure that... Everything is alright... Everything is alright..."

I raised my eyebrows and want to ask Megumin if his father is actually a Catholic or something, as he just called 'God' in Italian... Or is that Latin and he actually said 'Deus'? I forgot... Actually, I do forget to ask Megumin about her family's religion, but she never went to church anyway when my mother sometimes goes to that, so...

"Just put that damned arrow inside your suitcase, and ask Yoshikage-san to be the one keeping it safe then. We just don't want you to end up dead by that arrow ever again."

"Don't worry about that, Jozuma-kun my boy..." said the old man with a polite grin on his face. "Well, let's head back to Morioh-cho, shall we, Megumi-chan?"

Somehow, something feels not right but I just can't really pin it down... Maybe this was over how we should break the news to Yoshikage-san that his father almost died at my house last night?

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34 - Why Explosion? WHY?**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 2 May 1986**

"I am so sorry for not being able to say my thanks to your pet Youkai, Jozuma-kun. If only I could wake up earlier," said the elder Kira from the front seat just as Youjiro-san drives us out of my neighborhood.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Kira-san. I'm sure Aqua already understood that you can't exactly meet her after the sunrise," I said while remembering that after helping cleaning the mess on the living room, Aqua just went into her room to get some sleep, and she said she will start working next night, as she really needs to sleep all day long.

Of course, spending days as a stone pillar might seem to be counted as being asleep, until you realize that she was practically blasted by ultraviolet searchlights for twenty-four days non-stop so much that her skin has a really bad burn.

"I'm sure you could still meet her next time, father, Aqua isn't going anywhere..." said Megumin trying to ensure her dad that it was alright.

"Well, it wasn't too surprising though silly me..." said the elder Kira as he softly chuckled. "Should've known that Youkai and Vampires shouldn't be all that different. Oh, wait... Hahaha..."

"You know a Vampire?" said Megumin while her father seems to fidget about something.

"Dracula, Nosferatu, Kyonshi... I meant why did all the Youkai sleep during the day and awaken at Night, I wonder..." said the old man as he laughed at himself while ruffling Megumin's hair.

...

I must admit the scenery leading to Megumin's hometown of Morioh-cho is rather beautiful, even if what we passed is technically a long hill road lies between plains of flowery grass. It has almost no notable landmarks until we passed an old transmission tower that lies just at the side of the road, as from that point on, we could see the view of a small town lies just underneath the gentle slope of the hills. From what I knew, it was a rural town that was only being developed very recently.

"Just follow the road going through the tunnel until you meet a large crossroad, turn right and follow the sign heading towards the Jozenji Temple. You can't miss the residential area there and drive to the first section. My house is an old Samurai Villa located further down at the Northeast," said the elder Kira, giving directions for Youjiro-san as soon as we see a tunnel that seems to be built across the hills.

"Well, there seems to be traffic congestion in front of us, sir..." said Youjiro-san after we passed the tunnel and see a commotion in front of us.

"It's only 11 AM, why did..." said Megumin's father as he opened the car window and we see that the crowd is apparently looking into something that lies on the side of the road. "Oh... Police? What happened?"

And as we take a better look at things, I do notice that there is a handful of Police being present at the scene.

"Anjuro Katagiri has been found dead several hours ago, his remains were apparently brutally mutilated, as if he was sliced and diced with a sword," said one of the man, as we slowly drive across the crowd.

"He is the worst murderer to ever live here at Morioh, he deserves to die like this!" said a woman, and I just look that apparently nobody is being too bothered with the death of the said man.

"Serial killers like him must die! Killing that beast is not a crime," said someone else who just apparently want to spat at the recently deceased man.

"I heard the killer might be someone from the Yakuza or other or other criminal organization, I heard Anjuro pissed off the wrong guy and they end up sending their own maniac against him!"

We could see the police just laid a plastic sheet over something located inside the bushes, and there are blood splatters visible from the street. I see the elder Kira shuddered as we move past the bloody scene and I didn't blame him, it was pretty much one way to brutally kill a man.

"Isn't that Anjuro Katagiri being the serial murderer mentioned in the news two weeks ago?" I said as I suddenly remember the news about Megumin's hometown that happened just after the news of Dino-Darkness rampaging around Tokyo.

"Well, just a dead serial killer... He deserves it anyway," said Megumin as our car finally moved past the crowd to see the words written by blood located on the wall of a nearby building, which also has some people looking at it, but not as many as the dead body.

It was unusual as the words being written in English, which is kind of unusual, but as I read the message, it definitely gave me a chill.

 _._

 _~'Have you seen a man with two right hands?'~_

 _._

What the Fuck?

Why did something that I only have seen from the memory of an American Assassin end up being mentioned here in Japan? At Megumin's hometown, nonetheless?

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Maybe that was just a freak coincidence then, it can't be, I said to myself while the car has now gone away from the scene and move toward the large crossroad signing the more inhabited part of the town.

...

We arrive at the Kira House in less than ten minutes later, and the first thing I could say about Megumin's House is definitely an old samurai-style villa. It is smaller than mine and more humble in its construction, but considering mine is a freaking Noble Family Manor...

"Onii-sama! I'm home!" said Megumin as she jumps out of the car toward Yoshikage-san, who only ruffled his little sister's hair before moving towards the car and opened the front door for their father to come out.

"Welcome home, father..." said Yoshikage-san as he helped the elder Kira to step out. "Drunk again?"

"Ah... How should I said it, Yoshikage..." said the elder Kira awkwardly while Yoshikage-san helped him to carry the luggage inside the house. "I'll explain to you... But..."

"Again?" I whispered to Megumin, who could only slowly shook her head. "Did your father..."

"He started to drink a lot after mother's death, it's not really affecting his work... yet... but he has been in the situations where onii-sama was forced to bail him out."

"Oh... I hope your father will get better than..." I could only say that as I did not want to delve deep into Kira family problems.

...

"Welcome to our home, Jozuma-kun. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here," said Yoshikage-san as I sat at the side of what I assume must be their dining table. "I already prepared for lunch, only need a little time cooking them. Feel free to read or watch from the TV."

I could only smile and politely nod as Yoshikage-san put four cups of hot tea on the table, before going to the veranda and give one to Youjiro-san, who was there looking at the car. Megumin and her father apparently already went to their respective rooms so...

"May I ask where the bathroom is?" I said as I remember about a certain business that I need to do now.

"Oh, the bathroom is there, just across the courtyard," said Yoshikage-san as he helpfully points out across the small open central courtyard visible here from the living room.

"Arigatou, Yoshikage-san," I said as I politely stand and walks toward the bathroom.

...

As I went out from the bathroom, I could see Megumin already seated near the dining table, and Youjiro-san being currently reading the newspaper on the veranda.

"Well, your home is surprisingly cozy Megumin, everything is meticulously clean and ordered, even I feel guilty for using your toilet over how clean it was."

"Of course it is, what else did you expect..."

"It's a complete opposite of what you have earlier, I mean, the first time I come to your home here, the atmosphere feels welcoming, unlike when I first come to your home back in the Crimson Demon Village, with the oppressive atmosphere and way too cluttered with useless items thrown at random..."

"Don't mention that here!" said Megumin as she pinched my side.

"Awwwkkk... Okay, okay... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I said while looking that Megumin's father just walked out of a room with Yoshikage-san behind him.

"Ah, sorry to keep you waiting, I mean..."

"Onii-sama, father already told you what actually happened last night at Jojo's house, right?" said Megumin while the old man apparently could only look guilty toward his children. "You almost died yesterday!"

It only took me to see that Yoshikage-san raised his eyebrows to deduce that this old man either did not told the whole story or did not talk at all about it.

"Uhm... About that..." said the elder Kira while scratching his bald head and grinned like he was caught doing something naughty. "Drunk accident, or..."

"You drunk and drive? Or..." said Yoshikage-san as he now looking toward his old man with suspicion in his face. "Megumi-chan, could you explain what our old man has done last night at Jozuma-kun's house?"

...

"Oh, so this is the antique arrow you mentioned to me earlier?" said Yoshikage-san as he carefully peeled the tinfoil around the dangerous object in question. "Well, this cost... Two million yen? But you said that you got it from your friend Enya?"

"Well, she is an antique trader, what more I could say..."

"Still, thank you for your wonderful gift, father..." said Yoshikage-san as he exchanged a look with the elder Kira. "I promise to treasure this forever... Father..."

"Just don't let him get near any kind of sharp objects when he's drunk! He almost died yesterday!" said Megumin as she pinched her father's cheek, apparently still furious about what happened last night.

"Ha ha ha... Don't worry too much about that, Megumi-chan. Of course, our father has learned his lesson... Is that right, Father?"

The old man could only wince as Megumin keep pinching his cheek.

*DING*

"Well, that means the Gyuran is done..." said Yoshikage-san as he stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "I hope you like my cooking, Jozuma-kun..."

...

Damn.

I come here expecting the lunch made by Yoshikage-san to be just a simple meal, but much to my surprise, it was closer to something that should be found in a middle-to-high class restaurant. The Roasted Beef tongue cooked in Miso is definitely the best thing I've eaten recently, despite my father ordered dinner from the top-class restaurant yesterday. The Yakimeshi is also good, and so does the seaweed-and-silk-tofu soup... If only we could get a good liquor to get along with...

Oh wait, yesterday's accident, and apparently, because of that, Yoshikage-san only serves hot tea. Not even a drop of beer or something faintly alcoholic in sight.

"You are truly amazing, Yoshikage-san. This... This beef tongue could only be described as... Perfect..."

"Well, I have a lot of time cooking for my family, that's all I can say," said Yoshikage-san with a faint smile on his face. "I copied that from a nearby restaurant that also served the very same Gyutan variant though, it is the specialty of Morioh-cho."

"You want to go sightseeing around Morioh-cho, right, Jozuma-kun?" said the elder Kira as he smiled politely. "It is not summer yet, but I think Megumi-chan could show you the beach. You could do anything there as soon as you return here soon after sunset..."

"REALLY? ANYTHING?!" said Megumin, apparently surprised by how easy her father gave her permission to go with me.

"Well, as long as you don't play with firecrackers again..." said the old man while Megumin stomps her feet in frustration.

"She really lives on being an Explosion maniac, isn't she?"

...

After just a short five minutes car ride from Megumin's house, we arrived at the beach that literally just a short way after the residential area.

"At least your family didn't end up locking us together inside your room like before, ehehe..." I said to Megumin as we walked away from the Parking Lot, where Youjiro-san stayed with the car.

"Oh, so you want for us to be locked together in my room?" said Megumin just before she balled up her fist and launch it toward my head in full force.

*SMACK*

"OUCH!"

"If you want to do perverted things, forget it!" said Megumin as she threatened to turn around and go back to the car.

"I am joking dammit, joking!" I said as I pulled Megumin back toward the path we previously heading to, and she glares at me for a while.

"I started to regret why I carried my swimsuit and change here..."

"Oh, so you want to... Uh... Skinny dipping since there is nothing to hide about?" I said while jokingly pointing towards her flat chest.

*SMACK*

"TRASHZUMA YOU PERVERT!" said Megumin as she hits me again on the head, and I could only run towards the beach to avoid her further wrath.

At least the beach is almost empty, so our little altercation did not get any kind of public attention.

"Hey! Stop it! Stop it! You know that was my kind of joke! Am I right?" I said as Megumin is now pulling my cheeks and kicking on my shin.

"Some things never change, right..." said Megumin with a naughty smile just after she finally think my shin had enough of her kicks. "Jojo, what was that?"

I looked toward the direction she pointed at, and we could see a tall man walking out of the dense tree carrying something at his hand. The first thing I noticed about him is his hairdo, his silver hair seems to be rising directly above his head in a style that reminds me of Paul Phoenix from Tekken. He is definitely taller than me, perhaps almost as tall as Jiji, and from his face, he is definitely not a Japanese. The silver-haired man bared his shoulders, as he only wears a black tube top with one strap over his left shoulder, showing his lean but muscled form for everyone. His trousers are white, and he wears a pair of black leather bracers.

"That looks like a gaijin tourist... Well, this beach is beautiful indeed, maybe he was drawn here for..."

"Not that... Look at what did he carry!" said Megumin as she tries to hide behind me, and what I saw is definitely almost as bad as what we saw earlier during the commotion.

That silver-haired man carried a severed human hand on his hand and almost at the same time, he ends up looking toward us, realizing that he is not alone at this secluded part of the beach...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"KYAAAAAAAAA!" screamed Megumin as I immediately picked her up and run away from the silver-haired man. We are going there for a swim, not looking forward to meeting a murderer who is willing to mutilate his victim.

"HEEEY! STOOOP! STOOOP!" said the silver-haired guy in thick-accented English, but I don't like our chances if he somehow managed to catch up with us, so I summoned Whitesnake to spit at the silver-haired guy to slow him down or even incapacitate him.

But much to my surprise, there is a silver blur forming in front of him and Whitesnake's hallucinogenic acid spit ends up not affecting him at all...

Especially not when I could see a silver, slender robotic humanoid clad in a medieval-style armor, yellow eyes with blue pupils looking at us, holding a cup-hilted sword on his hand before twirling it to form a sword salute position.

"RUN MEGUMIN! RUN!" I dropped Megumin and ordered her to start running toward the car. Well, this is bad... Looking at how the silver-armored stand is holding a sword, this guy must be the one who killed someone we see back then at the road.

"You are a stand user?" questioned the silver-haired man in French-accented English as his silver-armored stand twirled the sword back into the ready position. "What a surprise."

"Uh... So... So you are the one who killed the man near that tunnel before!" I said in a panic as the silver-haired man and his stand just walked calmly towards me.

"Aye, that was me... Do you happened to know a man with two right hands?" said the silver-haired man calmly without breaking his stride, and I suddenly noticed that the severed hand he carries is a right hand, after all.

Panicked at how calm this silver-haired man is despite holding a fricking severed right hand, and thinking that this maniac must be someone who cut right hands to fulfill whatever sadistic impulse he has, Whitesnake spat at this man several times, but every time, the silver-armored stand merely swat away the spit with slashes of his sword.

"Non non non non non... Why are you so hostile, monsieur... I just want to..." said the silver-haired man before the silver-armored stand suddenly move to intercept something blue and cat-sized with his sword. "What the..."

"EXPLOSION!" said Megumin so suddenly before that blue tracked thing suddenly clicked and explode with enough force to even thrown me away from the sudden blast.

"WHAT?" I just can't believe what I see when I see Megumin just stand there, apparently also confused as hell, all while at her side, I could see a pink cat-man standing there, wearing black leather gauntlets with humanoid cat skull being visible there, as does a short black leather pants with single, large round of bronze emblem in front of it, also emblazoned by a humanoid cat skull.

"BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA! JOJO! APPARENTLY, I ALSO GOT POWERS LIKE YOURS! YOUR STAND REALLY HAS TRASH AND SCUM WRITTEN ALL OVER HIM!"

I just stood there with Whitesnake as our jaws both dropped to the ground, staring at how the fuck Megumin got a stand at the first place, before realizing that... Well, at least she awakened her stand in time to save me from that silver-haired murderer.

"And your stand is a Cat-MAN! Look at his flat chest!" I just point out the obvious that her stand is apparently male-looking, with the torso being more like a male or an extremely flat girl who is also somewhat muscular at the same time.

"What? It can't be!" said Megumin as yes, she ends up recognized the very obvious point of the usual gender difference. "Why do you must point this little unnecessary fact of this thing, oh my ungrateful-to-be-saved comrade?! Haven't you see the beauty of mine Explosion has returned?!"

I just looking back toward the site of the explosion, and yes, I see a medium-sized crater formed in the sand, and it should be a very messy method to kill someone. But where is that silver-haired guy we saw earlier...?

"To think that I end up meeting two immediately hostile stand users today..." said the silver-haired guy as he stands up, showing his bloodied and singed body, but somehow he managed to stay still standing with the silver-armored stand floating in front of him.

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"MY NAME IS JEAN-PIERRE POLNAREFF! MY STAND REPRESENTS THE CHARIOT CARD! SILVER CHARIOT! THE SWORDWORK OF MY STAND IS FAST ENOUGH TO CATCH BULLETS OUT OF THE AIR!" said the silver-haired man as he stood with his hand bent and raised upward in front of his chest as if he wants to explain what his stand power is in front of us, while his stand is posing with the sword placed at the salute position straight up in front of his armored face. "TO ATTACK SOMEONE WITHOUT INTRO..."

*PTOOEY*

At least this guy seem to be stupid enough to bother to introduce himself, so much that Whitesnake managed to land his acid spit square onto his eyes, before jumping in to grab his head, but somehow the silver-armored stand of him managed to stab at Whitesnake's arm that it stings even if I managed to partially dodge the incoming stab.

"YOU BASTARD!" said the silver-haired man as his stand tried to slice and stab Whitesnake, but I could notice that he is apparently distracted enough over the acid spit on his face, that Whitesnake managed to dodge most of his sword attacks (the stabs on the arms and sides are still extremely painful). But since his stand apparently has a close-range weapon and my stand is technically unarmed, I immediately realize that closing in to extract his stand in a grapple like usual might be suicide for me, so...

"MEGUMIN! GIVE HIM THE BEST EXPLOSION YOU GOT!" I said as I and Whitesnake run away from the angry silver-haired man and his armored stand.

"Crimson blood poured upon the water, frenzy rage pounding from the heart! The heart collapse in a Sheer Heart Attack! Summon before me the mightiest of my wrath! EXPLOSION!"

Instead of the expected magic circles and all the familiar signs of an Explosion Magic, however, Megumin's pink cat-man stand just formed a big-ass light blue half-ball with tank tracks underneath, and a grinning humanoid cat skull located in front of it.

Of course, due to Megumin also wasting her time by chanting that damned explosion chant, said the silver-haired man apparently recognizes the threat and standing at the ready with his silver-armored stand in front of him. And to his credit, he apparently still tried to stab toward the incoming meter-sized mini-tank that rammed at his armored stand and him with full speed, carrying him away from us and into the sea without even exploding.

That is until Megumin apparently notices her right hand and made a move as if to press a handheld detonation, and I swear that this is the most satisfying 'click' sound we've ever heard for so long.

*CLICK*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!*

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"HOLY SHIT!" that is all that I could say as the detonation of said cat-skull headed mini-tank caused an explosion on par with Megumin's usual Explosion magic, so much that it caused a meter high tidal wave and sprayed water all around in a large direction.

The silver-haired murderer definitely can't survive an explosion this big...

And yes, before long, the shockwave of said explosion already turned on many car alarm, and from the direction of the town, I could hear the siren of police cars coming toward our position.

"I... Really... Missed... This... Sensation..." said Megumin weakly as she gave me the biggest grin she ever had here, which definitely reminds me of something that will soon happen.

Even worse, the cat-man just fall knee first on the ground before disappearing, and Megumin soon followed suit, but then I realized that I could only blame myself for Megumin expanding all her stand power like that, as I did explicitly give her order to use her 'best explosion'.

"OH SHIT!" I grabbed Megumin's limp body before running towards my car, that is thankfully far enough to be unharmed, even if Youjiro-san is now cowering while sitting on the driver's seat.

"GET BACK TO MEGUMIN'S HOUSE! NOW!"

...

At least we managed to quickly get into Megumin's house without anyone noticing us, even as Yoshikage-san is already going out of the house, as the explosion sound would be still obviously heard from there.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!"

"Your sister turned out to awaken her stand, Yoshikage-san! I don't know about it but..."

And as I said that, I looked at the elder Kira, who looked at the limp body of Megumin carried by Whitesnake, and I realized that...

"Is that hers?" said the elder Kira as he points out towards Whitesnake.

"No! It's mine! She is unconscious after... Wait a minute, you could see Whitesnake?" I looked toward the two Kiras, and from both Yoshikage-san and his father, I could see that they are now obviously looking at Whitesnake because they did not mention about Megumin floating in the air or something...

"Stand?" said Yoshikage-san while I am now looking at how he has the very same pink cat-man standing behind him.

"B... Behind you!" I said as Yoshikage-san is now looking toward the identical pink cat-man that Megumin had, and I could see a surprise on his face as he raised his right hand and the pink cat-man do the same.

At least I immediately recognized that this pink cat-man is not Megumin's stand, because it has TWO humanoid cat skull emblems in front of his pants, instead of Megumin's that only have one.

"I... I think we better talk inside while waiting for my sister to wake up... Jozuma-kun," said Yoshikage-san as he quickly moves to close and lock the gate, before immediately went inside the house.

"Oh shit, how should I explain this all over again?"


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35 - Three Stands in a Day**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 2 May 1986**

After we carried Megumin's unconscious body inside her room, Yoshikage-san mentioned for me to get out of her room before he softly closed the door.

"She seems so happy about it," said the elder Kira solemnly as the three of us sat around the table at the living room. "The only time I've ever seen her grinning from ear-to-ear like this was when her mother is still alive and healthy."

There is heavy silence in the room, save for the Police sirens that keep blaring from the direction of the beach.

"So, the explosion we heard earlier was caused by my daughter's stand power? What did my sweet Megumi-chan has done?" said the elder Kira. "What happened, Jozuma-kun?"

"We... We had met with a sword-wielding murderer at the beach..." I pooled my courage to just said the events honestly to them, as this is just so sudden and out of the blue, even to my standard.

"Murderer?" said Yoshikage-san as he raised his eyebrows. "Did you just say... Murderer?"

"Sword-wielding murderer that is also a stand user... I mean, that murderer is a stand user whose stand is armed with a sword," I said, recalling the silver-haired Frenchmen that we met completely by freak chance. "We caught him-red-handed as he just went out of the trees, carrying a severed human hand as it was a trophy or something."

"Severed... Human hand?" said the elder Kira while he looked towards Yoshikage-san, while the later just start biting his nails.

"Well, yes... And worse, as soon as he was aware of our presence, he started chasing us as if trying to silence the witnesses," I said softly, noting the panic that rising from both the elder Kira and Yoshikage-san, but then remember that this was a completely normal reaction for they must be greatly concerned about Megumin. "I tried to fight him with my stand, but his sword-wielding stand managed to almost effortlessly bats away my attacks. I told Megumin to run, but out of a sudden, her stand manifested and she drives the silver-haired murderer away with the first explosion."

"Wha... Who is that silver-haired murderer?" said Yoshikage-san with deep concern in his eyes. "Driven out? He was only driven out? Running away or..."

"Well, that was the first explosion and it only hurts him lightly. He then introduced himself as Jean-Pierre Polnareff and outright admitted about being the one who killed the man we have seen earlier near the tunnel. I managed to land a hit on him, but he ends up being even more enraged and brutal in his attacks, it was there that Megumin saved my life, by attacking him with the best explosion she got..."

"Is... Is he still alive?" the elder Kira whispered in a shaky voice.

"I don't think he could survive that explosion though. Megumin's bomb drags him to the sea before being detonated with such force, it caused minor tidal waves. Surviving from a point-blank explosion like that is impossible."

At least Yoshikage-san stopped biting his nails, and his father wiped away beads of sweats from his head.

"Ah, so he must've been died and blasted into pieces, his corpse broken and torn everywhere into the sea," said Yoshikage-san softly. "And... What about the severed hand?"

"Who knows? We are too busy fighting that silver-haired murderer, it could end up fallen somewhere after Megumin's first explosion, or maybe destroyed after Megumin's second explosion," I said as the elder Kira and Yoshikage-san exchanges a worried look toward each other. "Aside from that moment, we didn't really care and didn't want to know if there are other mutilated body parts there. The second explosion is extremely loud and obviously telling everyone else to go investigate there, so much that we are basically forced to run away before they could have any ideas about us.

More silence reigned in the room before Yoshikage-san stood up and peeking through one of the windows.

"So there is a chance that the Police end up finding that severed hand on the beach..."

"Of course Yoshikage-san, that was obvious."

For a split second, I think I saw Yoshikage-san's face distorted in anger, but then he just shook his head and sighed.

"Well, at least you are coming back in relative safety... Why did my sweet sister end up unconscious thought? Is she standing too close to the blast, or..."

"No, she is unconscious because she effectively put all her mana, I mean stand power, into that one explosion attack," I said, trying to assure Megumin's family that she would be ok, that was just her way to use explosion magic.

"So, my Megumi-chan is just tired, right?" said the elder Kira. "Do you plan to report this incident to the Police, or..."

"Of course not! With stand powers like this, it would be looking for trouble if the Police knew of this! Better keep them in the dark about all this kind of supernatural business..."

"Arigatou... Jozuma-kun," said Yoshikage-san as he politely bows towards me. "That was everything to... Our family... We only wanted a peaceful, quiet life... Once again, you have our deepest gratitude. Thank you for saving the life of my little sister too..."

"It was my pleasure, Yoshikage-san," I said while returning the polite gesture towards him.

...

About one and a half hour later, the commotion has mostly died down and not even a police car ends up passing through the road in front of us. We listened to the Morioh-cho radio announcement about the event, and the local police seem to be adamant that this accident was caused by 'Korean Terrorists'.

There is a fact that Yoshikage-san also suddenly developed a stand, and the elder Kira could now clearly see the stands. It was puzzling at first, but then I do remember that being in a life-and-death situation might end up triggering a stand awakening, and awakening stands seem to run in the family. Considering that the elder Kira almost died yesterday, and our meeting with that silver-haired murderer could be said to be that as well in regard to Megumin... There is no surprise on why the Kira siblings got their own stands. About the elder Kira, it seems that his stand just not yet manifested.

"So Jozuma-kun, what is all the stand business all over again? What is the definition of a stand?" said Yoshikage-san as he finally managed to summon and unsummon his cat-man at will.

"Stand is the projection of the user's soul and their nature," I said, trying to remember what has Avdol said about that. "But basically, you have your own ghost-thing that you could control, and that comes with a specific power that seems to stem from the original stand user's personality."

"So, projection of the user's soul and their nature... eh..." said Yoshikage-san as he summoned his pink cat-man only for it to stare blankly at me. "It sure feels weird to have this kind of 'ability' but..."

"I am actually far more surprised that your stand is almost identical with Megumin's. You two must have very similar nature deep down there."

"Oh well, you do know my sister better, you knew the reason," said Yoshikage-san with a knowing smile, and I could only grin back at him, remembering our first meeting and my 'diagnosis' that this guy must be secretly a chuuni down there. "So, she had a... Whatever thing you used to describe this cat..."

"I'll tell you all of the deepest truth that hath been revealed unto me! My uber magical power is simply too powerful to be returned to mine alone, and thus, the Gods deem fit that my family is given a portion of my supreme power!" said Megumin as her room door suddenly opened, revealing herself and her cat-man stand for all of us to see. "You two could start thanking me for sharing the ultimate expression of magic, as it was my power who blessed both of you to follow the path of Explosion!"

The look on Yoshikage-san and his father is priceless, it was a near perfect mix of being annoyed, confused, and happy about whatever chunni bullshit Megumin just spew out of her mouth.

"Well, it seems that your stand and mine is... Almost identical?" said Yoshikage-san when he looked for himself about the very minor difference, that he has two cat-skull emblems in front of the shorts, and Megumin's have only one cat-skull emblem there.

"Say Megumin, about your cat-man stand, and your brother's..."

"SHE IS NOT A CAT-MAN! SHE IS KILLER QUEEN!" exclaimed Megumin as she huffed up, raised her index finger high in the air, and making the metal sign with her other hand across her body, all while her cat-(wo)man stand strike a pose with his(her) back bent backward and arms raised.

"But that was obviously a cat-man, just look at how similar your stand is to your brother's in the first place!"

"Well... Well..." said Megumin, slowly scratching her chin as she looks toward the cat-man with two cat-skull emblems. "The emblem on mine is a single big one, and yours have two smaller ones onii-sama... That means yours shall be named as KILLER QUEEN NUMBER TWO!"

"You idiot! The one who has the wrong stand is you Megumin! Yoshikage-san, you could just name your stand as something much more appropriate like Killer King or King Crimson!" I said as I put my palm onto my forehead, thinking about how lame-ass it would be if Yoshikage-san ends up with a stand that is named [KILLER QUEEN #2].

"Well, I do like the name though... So Killer Queen Number Two, that is..." said Yoshikage-san with a straight face and unbelievable calmness, so much that I end up facevaulted in disbelief of what just happened.

"ARE YOU TWO SERIOUS?!" I shout in disbelief while Yoshikage-san just tussled his sister's hair, and the later only stupidly grin like she was just done something worth mentioning in a history book, like naming two stands in the same day with so imaginative names of Killer Queen and Killer Queen Number Two.

It is definitely a travesty of common sense, just like back then when she named my brand new sword 'Chunchunmaru'. And seeing that the name of the stand sticks after their master named it...

"Ufufufu... See that Jojo? That is just my powerful Magic works! I think I should re-name your stand too, because Whitesnake is such an unimaginative name for a creepy stand like that, so..."

"NO THANKS! I already liked Whitesnake as it was, and stand name sticks after their first stand master gives it the name! I could just pull out your stand disc and check your stand's name anyway so..." I said while Whitesnake is pushing away at Megumin's crazed cat-(wo)man, who apparently already grabbed a permanent marker and tries to write whatever name she deems fit for my stand.

"Wait... Jozuma, if my sister's power is basically causing an explosion... And I was supposed to have the same power... What do you mean by 'pulling out stand discs'? Is that your stand power?"

"Of course, Jojo's stand power is none other than stealing other people's stands and memories!" said Megumin as she just outright blurted out my stand power, thankfully only in front of her family.

"You... You could steal... Memories?" said Yoshikage-san with a fearful, quivering voice. "You mean... Memories within our brain?"

"Correct, that's it, more or less."

"That means you already knew everything when you sent out your stand? Just like your friend Vanir?" said Yoshikage-san while looking at myself and Megumin with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Geez Megumin, you've told him about Vanir, aren't you?"

"Of course I did!"

"Look at how you suddenly caused your onii-sama to become a quivering wreck!" I just point out toward Megumin that her older brother is apparently very disturbed by the implications of someone being a mind-reader that could freely look at someone else's memory and therefore no secret could be kept away from him. "And no Yoshikage-san, I am not on the level of Vanir, as Whitesnake's stealing process need him to make direct contact with the target's head, turning their memory and stands into discs, before ripping away those discs out from their head."

"Oh... So... That's it? You are not an automatic mind-reader?" said Yoshikage-san as he breathes a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry, but that kind of mind-reading power just give me... A philosophical existential terror..."

"Well, I could take out only the stand and left the memory intact, I've done that a handful of times when checking someone else's stand, and technically the reverse but I've never done the later."

"So you could take someone's stand out and..."

"I take the stand out as a disc and it could be inserted to someone else to transplant the stand, or so to speak. The memory is quite a bit different with it could be read by glancing toward the memory disc, inserting that into your head will cause you to 'see' what is inside the memory disc more thoroughly."

"Well, that's pretty insidious power to have..." said Yoshikage-san as he gives me a painful wince in his face. "Is there are signs that someone is having their memory stolen by you?"

"They will fall into a coma until their memory disc has been properly returned into their head. From what others have experienced, the memory and or stand ripping process is painful, and could be said to be a traumatic experience for anyone that didn't expect it."

Of course, I'm talking about Avdol, Kakyoin, and my own great-grandmother. The first two have their memory directly read, and the later end up not saying anything about it even if I refrained to peek on her memories. It was circumstantial, but she seems to grow paranoid every time she saw me after Aqua's re-awakening, not that I could blame her for that.

"But if that was your power, how could you used that from a range?" said Yoshikage-san as he scratches his smooth chin. "You said that the... sword-wielding-stand of that murderer end up batting away your attacks."

"Well, that was just Whitesnake having hallucinogenic acid spit," I explained my other power to Yoshikage-san. "It is kind of medium-ranged attack, I discovered that by accident too..."

"Hmmm..." said Yoshikage-san as he just looking at Whitesnake intently. "Maybe I should try my stand powers at somewhere silent, I do not wish to cause a ruckus as my sister does."

...

At least, everything has been said and discussed between us. Yoshikage-san seems to already grasp the basics, and he said he'll inform me if there are some unexpected developments or something.

And to make sure that the current ruckus caused by Megumin's explosion really died down, I sent Whitesnake to climb on the wall and looking around as he perched himself on top of the roof. There are still some police cars on the beach, but there is nothing else notable to be said of.

"How does your stand could easily move that far while mine can't?" said Megumin in irritation as she tries to move her Killer Queen away from her, but apparently stuck in a range about two meters away from her body.

"That obviously meant your stand is a close-range stand, even if the effective range of your bomb could be pretty far," I said while remembering what Avdol have explained to me before. "Close-range stand is said to be more powerful in direct combat, but yes, they are basically limited by their limited range."

"Well Jozuma-kun, do you plan to stay here for the night or..." said Yoshikage-san as I remember that it was almost night already.

"Well, maybe it's time for me to go back. Hey Megumin, you want to stay here or..."

"I think Megumi-chan should back to your home with you, Jozuma-kun. You two do have classes tomorrow, right?"

Damn 1980s Japan and how they still have Saturday classes!

"Well, I guess so onii-sama," said Megumin sadly as she hugs her big brother.

"Take care, and don't end up blasting Jozuma's house without a good reason," said Yoshikage-san as he tussled his little sister's hair.

"Without a good reason?" I momentarily said that to myself, but apparently, Yoshikage-san did hear it.

"You making her cry is a good enough reason, Jozuma-kun."

Oh damn...

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

As Youjiro-san drives us out of Morioh, the calamities seem to die down quickly. Yes, there are still crowd looking at the 'Have you seen a man with two right hands' message painted in blood, but nobody dares to cross the police line placed around them.

From the Morioh-cho radio, we could still hear the news about the explosion, and how the Police and IJN representatives keep blaming that on 'Korean Terrorists'. Well, at least this alternate Japan had a ready-made boogeyman that is the Korean Liberation Army. They rarely make any fuss after the 1960s, but they are still the easy-to-blame target, for some obvious reasons.

We entered Tokyo well deep into the night, and just before we entered my house... I spotted Aqua sweeping the street in front of my house.

"Hi Jojo-dono, Megumin, what could I do today?" said Aqua cheerily as she opened the gatehouse.

"Ummm... Nothing? Who wakes you up? My mom?"

"Nope, I just going out of the room after the sun sets, and your mom asked me if I could start by sweeping the street clean."

"Ah, that was fast..." I said while getting out of the car with Megumin in tow. "Where is my great-gra..."

"That old Hamon bitch apparently shut herself up, while your mom introduces me to your damned grandfather's mistress and his bastard son. They seem to don't really mind me, but Tomoko-san did ask something about you having a dinosaur, while that toddler is apparently having another pair of pink arms dangling from his back.

"Well, thank you Aqua, just don't mind that..." I said as thinking that maybe this is the start of her peacefully settling down, but just as we about to enter my home?

"Ne Megumin, who is that cat-man that walked behind you?" said Aqua, pointing toward the Killer Queen, who Megumin just summoned somewhere after getting out of the car.

"Wait a minute, you could see THAT, Aqua?!" I said while summoning Whitesnake at my side as well. "You could see him too?"

"Kuzu gesu kuzu gesu kuzu gesu... Puuu kusu kusu kusu..." said Aqua as she laughed hysterically after reading what is written on Whitesnake's stripes. "Why I'm not surprised to see your Hiki-NEET stand having such trashy pervert design at the first place?!"

"Hold on... Hold on... You could... REALLY SEE THEM? You do remember not seeing mine right?"

Aqua ends up only scratching her head, apparently also wondering with the fact that she could suddenly see stands.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" said Aqua as if she has done nothing wrong, which it is, but the very fact that she could suddenly see stands worried me.

"Wait a moment Aqua! You drank my father's blood, didn't you?!" said Megumin while pointing her finger toward the idiot Pillar Woman.

"Well, that was spilled on the floor! I thought it would be a waste if I just wipe them out, so..."

"YOU DRANK MY FATHER'S BLOOD AND TAKE AWAY HIS MAGICAL POWER! IF NOT BECAUSE OF THAT HE WOULD ALREADY HAVE KILLER QUEEN NUMBER THREE!" said Megumin as the Killer Queen is now pinching Aqua's cheeks.

"At at ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch... Stwoop iwt Mweegumwiiinnn!" said Aqua as a blob of water pushed the pink humanoid cat stand away before being absorbed back into Aqua's body and starts floating out of her head as kind of floating hagaromo.

"You still stole my family magic! Now my father did not develop his stand yet and you already have one!"

"Is that..." I said while noticing that, while she usually has biological tentacles, that hagaromo-like water that now floats around her is definitely... "A stand?"

"What are you saying Hiki-NEET? This is My Divine Necklace! You could call it Aqua's Necklace!" said Aqua as the hagaromo-like blob of water suddenly coalesced into a short humanoid with eyes drawn around its transparent bodies, and it's head sort of reminds me to the old dogu figures, just with long hair made of water, just like an uglier little version of Aqua, honestly.

"Give that stand back to my father!" said Megumin while she tried pulling the miniature ugly-Aqua with Killer Queen, but apparently Aqua's stand just can't be grabbed.

"Puuu kusu kusu kusu, that was divine water! Not a stand! You just can't grab mine!"

"Oh crap, this kind of stand business just get out of hand! Not with Megumin and her family, and now you! Isn't that stand ability was supposed to be super rare or something?!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36 - Killer Queen Has Already Touched The Panic Button**

 **Tokyo, Japan, 2 May 1986**

"That stand should be my father's! Return it! Return it!" said Megumin as she latched herself on Aqua's back and start pulling on Aqua's hair.

"Stop it Megumin! There is no clause in the contract forbid me for drinking blood that was already spilled! Do you want your father's blood to end up wasted in the toilet?" said Aqua and this definitely give Megumin a stop.

"Well, Aqua is not in the wrong this time," I said as I scratched my chin. "Bloodstain is notoriously almost impossible to clean on tatami... We need to either replace all the mats or used professional cleaning service, both would be very expensive propositions..."

"You are filthy rich now, dammit!" said Megumin as she glares at me as if what I said was wrong, but at least, my statement successfully stops her from assaulting Aqua further.

"Anyway, it's still damn interesting to see that you get your stand that way, Aqua," I said while poking the mini-dogu version of herself with Whitesnake's hand. "Your stand..."

"My Divine Necklace!"

"When your stand manifested anyway?"

"I remember dreaming about pushing myself out of a cave full of teeth, and as I went awake, my Divine Necklace just flows out of my mouth..." said Aqua, and I quickly jumps away from her stand, as turns out that her stand is basically bound to her drooling saliva. "WHAT? My Divine Necklace is made of pure water you jerk! I could still purify all water that passes through my body! You could even drink it and not becoming ill!"

"That's still gross you idiot! Stand bound to saliva! This is literally the worst stand ever!"

"I tell you! My Divine Necklace is made of clean, healthy, pure water!" said Aqua as the mini-dogu figurine of her turns into a long floating Hagaromo before she nonchalantly slurped the floating water into her mouth. "See?"

"THAT'S EVEN WORSE!"

"EW! GROSS!"

...

 **Tokyo, Japan, 3 May 1986**

Thankfully, nothing else happened last night. Everyone else except Youjiro-san was already asleep, and he agreed to keep whatever happened at Morioh as a secret.

Even the news about yesterday's explosion is a lackluster one, mainly because according to the news, nobody was killed. Great-grandmother did ask me if I knew anything about it, but we vehemently deny anything other than just spending our time inside Kira Family home.

It was another story, convincing the girls to not flaunt their stands in the open, but at least Megumin could be reminded on what Yoshikage-san already said yesterday, to keep their family ability secret from 'outsiders' because he didn't want the Speedwagon Foundation to come snooping on their lives. Assuring Aqua's silence is harder, but at least she agreed to just get to sleep when the sun is out and not meeting my great-grandmother face-to-face.

But just as I and Megumin arrive at our school... I end up looking nervously on a certain green ghost floating in front of the class. And before she could say anything, or the green ghost is able to look at us, I pulled Megumin away to a rather secluded part.

"Remember as well that Kakyoin could see stands too if he realizes that..."

"Why must I pretend not looking at that?" said Megumin obtusely. "You already said to Kakyoin that you could see stands without having one, why can't I..."

"Please... I can't be revealed as..."

"Oh yeah," said Megumin with a sadistic grin on her face. "But you definitely owe me one, this time around."

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

...

"Ohayo Kujo-san, Kira-san..." said that certain Pinkie as we walked toward our respective desks. "Why are you two absent yesterday?"

"That's not your business..." I said while Megumin just rolled her eyes and sit on her desk.

"Owh..." said the pinkie sadly as he just returned to look around at the incoming students and teachers. "He can't really evade justice for this long..."

"Still in a crusade to catch that creepy molester ghost, aren't you?" said Megumin while she sat on her desk. "Are you certain that you could catch him someday?"

"Of course, Kira-san. I shall stay vigilant to catch the creepy molester who preys upon the innocent women of our school. He can't just stay hidden forever!"

"Well, good luck then..." said Megumin offhandedly as the school bell started to ring.

...

"And thus I must suffer, hiding my true power here, all because of you being such a trashy pervert!" scold Megumin as we walked back to my house after the school hours ended (early on, this is Saturday).

"So, what do you want..." I said in defeat as we walked through the public garden.

"Get me somewhere where I could start practicing my explosion properly!"

"Dammit! Your stand ability is literally causing a huge-ass explosion! There is simply no way in Tokyo you could..."

"Should I just said to everyone that you are the one behind that 'creepy molesting ghost' who terrorize our school..."

"Alright, alright... What do you want?"

"You could drive a car, right?"

"NO, I CAN'T! I'm still too young to have a license!"

"You are big enough to pass as eighteen years old!"

"I never learned how! My mom could drive a car, but even she prefers to use Metro or Taxi!"

"Ask your parents for one!"

"I am still fifteen! It's not like they would permit me to have one!"

"YOU OWE ME!"

"I can't! The only vehicle I could drive is my bike!"

"Tonight! Or else!"

...

And the night comes and everyone else was already asleep because it is almost 23.00...

"Ne, Jojo-dono, are you certain about this?" said Aqua as she opened the gate and I ride my bike out of the gate before she closes it again.

"You are the one physically strongest of us now, and I am more than certain that you could easily run and pull us as fast as average cars, right?" I said as I fastened the rope on her waist before fastening the other end on my left arm. All while Megumin sat on the passenger seat.

"I should be a Goddess or an ultimate being, not a rickshaw runner!"

"Shut up, you are my youkai servant, and I command you to run west toward the wilderness!" I said while referring to the still less developed parts of Western Tokyo, where there are wilderness and Megumin could hopefully set up her explosion without anyone really noticing.

"You are genius, Jojo!" chirped Megumin happily. "I can't wait to use my explosion ever again!"

"Why can't you use your car!" said Aqua while pointing out towards my family car that sits on the garage.

"Because I am not yet permitted to drive that, duh! I am still fifteen years old dammit!"

"But... But..." said Aqua as I start pulling the rope to sign her to start running. "If uncle Kars see this..."

"Yes, yes, you told us that you used to run hundreds of kilometers at night, it's time to prove your claim you useless Pillar Woman," I said while giving the rope another tug. "Remember our blood-sealed contract?"

"Uuuuuuuiii..." whimpered Aqua, but she apparently realized that she is indeed my youkai servant, and thus must obey my command, so she started running after that.

...

"Reminds me to ask for a motorcycle when I turned sixteen," I said to Megumin as we are literally pulled on speed comparable to one, even if it this was turned to be slower than what I imagine of Pillar Men speed.

Still, Pillar Woman muscle power is definitely faster than riding my bike. It does feel surreal that my half-brained plan to use Pillar Woman muscle power actually works.

"Why can't you just buy a rickshaw instead?" said Megumin as we overtake a (rather slow) car, that must think what the fuck happened to run faster than him in the dark of the night. "You could use Aqua for transport at night that way!"

Yes, Aqua does have perfect night vision, and aside of the flashlight I carried inside my backpack, we literally travel in the dark.

"Good idea..." I said while Aqua just runs us alongside the deserted riverside road.

"I HEARD THAT YOU JERKS! WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM? A HORSE?"

"JUST KEEP RUNNING!"

...

 **Tokyo, Japan, 4 May 1986**

At least, we arrive in a semi-forested hillside way past the industrial area, and this should be where it would be safe enough for Megumin to unleash her explosion without making too much fuss with anyone else.

"Uhuuu... Huuu... Uuuuuuuiii... I never thought that Jozuma will end up enslaving me mercilessly like thiiisss..." cried Aqua as she laid at the side of the parked bike.

"Well, I'm sorry Aqua... But Megumin needs her explosion fix and I can't drive a car yet..." I said while tossing her a slab of pork, which she munched, but she keeps crying at that.

"Uuuuuuuiii..." whined Aqua while digging on the meat. "Why are you so meeeaaannn!"

"You said that your uncle Kars used to order you to walk thousands upon thousands of kilometers at night, and this is barely sixty-kilometer trek on a good road!"

"I haven't run like this for more than two thousand yeeeaaarrrsss!"

"Well, at least you could still run back to Jojo's house before sunset, yes?" said Megumin while putting her hand on Aqua's shoulder, looking at me as if this is my doing all along, without even telling her that this was started by her own insistence to test her explosion.

"You said you walked thousands of kilometers! Don't blame me for expecting you to really do your reported feat!" I said while the useless Pillar Woman ends up crying even louder. "Sssh, calm down... We'll go home at cycling speed, ok? The sun won't rise until 4.45 at the fastest around this time... More than enough time to go back home before that..."

"If you really want to travel fast at night, I could make you some vampire horses! Just don't ask me to run like a rickshaw runner again!"

"Why aren't you telling me earlier about this?" I said as the mention of 'Vampire Horses' definitely piqued my interest. "At least, as far as I knew, horse riding license is not limited by age..."

"Well, can I start my explosion now?" questioned Megumin as she pointed towards her watch. "If we stay here for too long..."

"Alright, alright... You could start..." I said to the explosion maniac while even Aqua stops sobbing and start watching her, as Megumin's cat-person materializes at her side.

"Oh, the dark shroud engulfing the sky, fierce blaze contained in mine power! The power of ages within my hands, collapsing the strings of the universe! In the name of the Crimson Demons, summon before me the pure power of the Killer Queen! Let the earth forever knew my wrath! EXPLOSION!"

"Ano... isn't this rather too... Anticlimatic?" said Aqua while the cat-person stand of Megumin formed the familiar cat-skull-headed mini tank that immediately picking up speed and makes a run towards the dark open plain laid in front of us. "That looks like a suicide vehicle of some sort..."

"I am indeed an opinion that you actually did not need that kind of useless chant," I said while Megumin just looked unamused towards us.

"SHUT UP YOU TWO! EXPLOSION!" said Megumin as she pressed her thumb.

*CLICK*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!*

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

"I'll give that 65/100, yesterday's explosion is definitely much better than this..." I said while Megumin and her Killer Queen started to fall unconscious. "Well?"

"I... Am... Still... Out... Of... Practice..." said Megumin with a weak smile just as she plopped herself unconscious into the grass.

"Well, at least she got what she wanted..." I said while carrying the unconscious explosion maniac back toward my bike. "Well Aqua, you could start pedaling this time, no need to go really fast this time..."

...

My watch shows the time is 2.15, and we already arrive back in front of my house. Aqua did say she pedals at her leisure speed, and literally carrying two passengers at her back, but that was still much faster than the average human pedaling speed, mind you.

Of course, everything seems to be perfect, the house light is still dimmed and everyone is still asleep. Perfect.

As we carried Megumin inside the house, however, I noticed something as I passed near the parked family car. Its engine feels warm as if someone recently used it...

"Weird..." I muttered while opening the door, and found that unlocked, which is suspicious because I definitely locked up the door before I went away.

Maybe I just forgot though, as I summoned Whitesnake and there are no signs of anything amiss.

As Aqua carried Megumin to her room, and I walked toward mine, however...

"What are you thinking sneaking away at night like this?!" said none other than my great grandmother, who apparently already waiting in front of my door.

"G... Great-granny? H... How?"

"What are you planning with the Pillar Woman? Why did she and your girlfriend suddenly become stand users out without us noticing about them!" said her as she dragged me inside my room and close the door.

"Hey... How did you know?! L... Let me explain! Let me explain!"

"You better explain whatever you have done right now, mister! I have seen everything!"

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ


End file.
